


Road to Nowhere With You

by SmokeMonsterSyd



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-07-28 15:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16244372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokeMonsterSyd/pseuds/SmokeMonsterSyd
Summary: 22 and tired, Maura Isles embarks on a solo road trip to distract herself for the summer. What will happen when she picks up a dark haired stranger along the way? Eventual Rizzles, of course.AU





	1. New Jersey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have decided to add a playlist to go with this fic. The songs are what I feel would be playing in the car, and some of the songs I added because I felt they fit the story line, or reminded me of Jane and Maura. 
> 
> Here is the playlist link for the first two chapters!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXgV_E-UrbbwVnynrXtwdb_Tw60Qsk94L
> 
> When I finish this fic, I will put all the songs into one long playlist, but for now I'll post them in relation to chapters. Enjoy!

Location: **Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. 5:20 a.m.**

 

The hood of her car is cool to the touch, sending shivers up and down her back. She had been pulled over for hours now, but because she had been traveling for so long, Maura figured her car would never cool down. The bright stars in the sky that still insist on hanging onto the night are reflected in the paint of her blue prius, making the world seem like it is split in half. The crashing of the waves is peaceful, reminding her of the rush of her heart when she used to run, despite only seeing the stillness of the water in the distance. It seems to go on forever and ever, as if the end of the world is only just a few short miles away. Right at earth’s doorstep, a bright strip of orange peaks out above the water. Just in time.

 

She wonders what it would be like if the sun never rose again. She wonders if she would be able to trust anything if that ever happened. If you can’t trust nature, how can you trust the people that came from it? Considering all the bullshit she had been put through in the last two months, she wonders how she trusts anyone now, when the world is running just the way it should.

 

The sun brightens the sky like a curtain being slowly opened into a dark room. The darkness vanishes and is replaced by color so vivid that she wonders how all of this can be real. She can see the sun reflecting off the water, turning the dark blue into a iridescent night light to brighten the atmosphere. The world is beautiful, nature is beautiful, and after being so down in the dumps for so long, Maura wonders how she never really noticed and appreciated it before.

 

_I’m going to change that,_ she thinks to herself, _I’m tired of being so cynical_.

 

This very same thought colors her drive as she makes her journey perpendicular to the sun. The open highway is empty, apart from the occasional fast car that speeds by, causing her to squint and avoid being blinded by the sun's reflection. Sometimes it feels like she's been driving for days when it's only been an hour, and other times it feels like she's been driving for hours when it's only been minutes. The scenery on the side of the road changes so rapidly that if she didn't have a map, she wouldn't know where she was.

 

Yesterday she had only traveled 6 hours. For someone who makes road trips often, this would be too small of a distance for one day of travel, but considering Maura hasn't driven for more than 2 hours in the last 22 years of her existence, she considers this progress. Everything is progress with her new, bright outlook on life.

 

She promised herself that she would take her time, stop at every place that interested her, but so far all she has seen is highway and nothing else of interest. She wonders why anyone travels to the east coast if there is nothing of interest to see here. Then, she gets rid of that thought, because it doesn't match with her new, chosen way of thinking. _Oh my goodness, the trees are so pretty_ , she thinks to herself, but she's sure the entire world can hear the sarcasm spilling out of her ears.

 

Maybe she's just grumpy from sleeping in her car and waking up to an alarm at 4:30 a.m. Why should today be any different than the rest of her life? She's been waking up for 8 a.m. classes for the last 4 years, and once she goes to medical school it'll just be more of the same. Might as well keep the habit, a thought that keeps her from being a little less tired.

 

She's not sure how long she's been traveling, or where she is in New Jersey's many small towns, when she spots a figure in the distance. The first and only thing she can actually see is a wild mane of black curly hair attached to a skinny body with a thumb out. Maura may not watch much television, but she knows a hitchhiker when she sees one, and almost immediately tells herself that she's just going to keep driving and pretend like she didn't see them. When she gets closer, however, it is obvious that the person is a girl, just a teenager, and only has one small bag over her shoulder. She changes her mind.

 

She pulls over to the side of the road just in front of where the girl is standing, rolling down the window to speak.

 

“You know hitchhiking is dangerous, the majority of people who hitchhike go missing and are never seen again,” she says.

 

“Is this your way of telling me that you're a murderer?”

 

Maura is surprised when the stranger speaks and her voice is deep and husky with a slightly feminine undertone. It's hypnotic and Maura has to go over her response a few times before she understands.

 

“No, I just...please get in the car,” Maura sighs.

 

The girl chuckles as she opens the door and throws her bag on the floor of the passenger seat. Now that she is up close, Maura can see that she's a little dirty, but she's got a smile on her face that brightens her deep brown eyes. Her hair is long and curly and frames a beautiful face with prominent cheekbones and a strong jaw. _This woman must be a model_ , Maura thinks, _and yet she's barely older than I am._

 

“No one I've ridden with has every asked me so politely to get in their car, usually it's 'get the fuck OUT of my car’, I feel like I'm riding in a limo or something,” she says, and closes the car door.

 

“Well, I may not know you, but I would rather not see a missing person's ad with your face on it a few days from now,” Maura says, “you'll be much safer with someone like me than a trucker.”

 

“You're probably right, but I still feel like you're a murderer,” Jane says, and the smile on her face is so charming that for a second Maura wonders if she's the one that's going to be attacked.

 

“Where are you heading?” Maura asks.

 

“Florida, I'm trying to visit my pop,” the girl says.

 

“I can get you to Florida.”

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Maura sees the girls eyes go wide with surprise. She feels the muscles in her face pull up without her permission, and she forces them to stay in a neutral position.

 

“Where are _you_ trying to get to?”

 

Maura simply shrugs, which is the truth because she doesn't know where she is going. When she made this decision, 2 minutes after graduation, she didn't really consider where she wanted to end up. All she wanted was to see America in all its glory.

 

“You...don't know where you're going?” She asks, skeptically.

 

“No, I know that I'm traveling south, and then eventually I'll travel west, and then east again--”

 

“You're really just gonna drive around the country? Damn, your car is gonna hate you,” she chuckles.

 

Maura smiles. “Cars don't have feelings.”

 

“Do you always take everything so literally?”

 

“Yes.”

 

In the past, she might have felt some shame at someone making this statement, because most of the time comments like that are meant to tease her. When she came back to America for college, she decided as soon as her feet hit the ground that she would start forgiving herself for the things she didn't understand. She did not grow up like most children, and therefore she should not be embarrassed for little things that she would have learned had her life been relatively ordinary.

 

She can feel the girl squinting at her from across the car, but keeps her eyes steadily trained on the road. There are no cars.

 

“Well, if you're gonna murder me, I at least want to know your name. You know, just in case I get away or something.”

 

She looks away from the road only to be met with a kind smile that Maura hopes she returns.

 

“Maura,” she says.

 

“I'm Jane.”

 

“Where are you from, Jane?”

 

“Boston, born and raised,” she says, and there is a grin in her voice.

 

“Really? Huh.”

 

“What?”

 

“I'm from Boston, too,” Maura says.

 

“No shit? What high school did you go to?” Jane asks eagerly.

 

“Oh, I didn't attend high school in Boston, I went to a boarding school.”

 

“Boarding school? What was _that_ like?”

 

Maura laughs as she thinks back to her all girls boarding school. What was it like, really? It was full of snobby, catty girls, who's only mission in life was to marry rich and do absolutely nothing else with their lives. There were a few exceptions, but somehow these girls never connected and stayed separated from the rest of the school population.

 

“It was...interesting,” she says, eventually.

 

“My high school suuuucked,” Jane groans.

 

“Is that why you're running away?”

 

“Pfft, how old do you think I am?”

 

Maura shrugs. “18?”

 

“You flatter me!” Jane cries, placing a hand over her heart dramatically, “No, I'm 20. What are you, like 40?”

 

“I hardly look anything like a 40 year old,” Maura grumbles.

 

“Yeah, but your car gives you away.”

 

“This is a practical car!”

 

“And that's something a 40 year old would say,” Jane grins.

 

“Well, I'm not 40, I'm 22, and this is a practical car that is going to get _you_ all the way to Florida,” Maura says with a pretend glare.

 

Jane raises her hands in the air in surrender.

 

“Okay, you're right, soccer mom cars are built to last crazy road trips, like yours.”

 

Maura makes a face and rolls her eyes.

 

“Is this how you treat all the strangers you meet on the side of the road?”

 

“Nah, I treat them nicely so they don't try to kill me.”

 

“I thought I was a murderer to you?”

 

She sees Jane shrug out of the corner of her eye. “Maybe, I'm not sure yet.”

 

“Then shouldn't you be greasing me up instead of making fun of me?”

 

Jane goes silent for a little too long and Maura starts to worry. She looks over to make sure Jane is okay, and sees that her eyes are squinting in confusion.

 

“Do you mean 'buttering me up’?” She says, eventually.

 

Now it's Maura's turn to squint. “What did I say?”

 

“Greasing me up.”

 

“Isn't that the same thing?”

 

Jane burst out laughing and for a second it's so loud that it drowns out the music on the stereo. After a few seconds of Jane being in hysterics, Maura laughs too as if her laughter were a contagious yawn. Normally, Maura would feel like she is being made fun of, but something about Jane is just so kind that she doesn't feel threatened at all.

 

Jane swipes at her eyes as her laugh turns into a chuckle and sighs.

 

“You're funny, I like you.”

 

“It wasn't meant to be funny,” Maura says, smiling.

 

They sit in silence and Maura thinks that she has never felt more comfortable with anyone before. It's so strange how just an hour ago, she was alone with her thoughts and feeling slightly miserable. How can this stranger after only minutes make her feel so much better? Had she been alone for too long?

 

Jane clears her throat a little and breaks their comfortable silence. She leans forward and turns the radio up a little louder, before propping her feet up onto the dashboard.

 

“So, Maura, where are we headed to next?”


	2. Virginia

**Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia. 2:43 p.m.**

 

Maura isn't sure why she's suddenly become so attached to beaches. She finds that the fastest route south is right by the edge of the water. You know, until she reached the edge of Delaware and she and Jane had to backtrack to go inland, adding two more hours to their travel time. Somehow, Maura didn't mind driving longer than she originally planned, not with Jane in the car.

 

Jane was interesting, and the more she spoke, the more Maura wished she had met her sooner. She is funny, and surprisingly a good listener despite her sarcastic comments, and Maura wonders how different her life would have been with her in it. They didn't talk about anything serious, all conversation was light, and occasionally Jane would complain about traffic, but when they weren't speaking the silence was comfortable. That is something Maura had never really experienced before. It was like they had known each other longer than 8 hours.

 

As they make their way down Atlantic Avenue, the colorful shops of Virginia Beach catch Maura's eye. Around every corner is a new ice cream shop, another t shirt store, one more store claiming to sell delicious salt water taffy, the same brand she is sure is in every other store. She wonders what it's like to live here, wonders what it's like when it's winter and all the tourists are gone.

 

“Car or hotel?” Maura asks, suddenly.

 

“Hmm?” Jane is caught off guard, she had been watching the people on the streets.

 

“Would you like to sleep in a hotel or in the car?”

 

Jane looks at her, eyes wide as they stop at a stop light. 

 

“Um, a hotel. Are you high? Why would I want to sleep in a car?”

 

Maura shrugs. “I was just wondering.”

 

“Wait, were you actually serious about sleeping in the car? Is that what you've been doing?”

 

“The one night I've been traveling, yes, I slept in the car.”

 

“You know that's a good way to get arrested, right?”

 

“Good thing we’re sleeping in a hotel room then, isn't it?” Maura responds, grinning. 

 

Jane laughs and turns back to look out the window. Her hair shines in the sunlight, accentuating her messy curls and Maura wonders how she makes it look so perfect. If Maura's hair was ever that messy she would just look homeless, but Jane looks like she's ready for a photoshoot. Her tan skin makes her hair look even darker, and Maura can't help but appreciate the musculature of her thighs. Everything about Jane interests her, and Maura is secretly thrilled that she will be spending at least another day with her.

 

Maura pulls up to a set of white buildings with a large porch, a place that screams “I'm expensive” and parallel parks in a guest space. As she's straightening out the car, Jane is looking at her with some confusion.

 

“Are we stopping here for the day?” She asks.

 

“Yes, is that okay?”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

Jane is still looking at her, puzzled, and Maura kind of struggles to come up with words. Jane just looks too adorable, with her eyebrows furrowed and her lips slightly pursed. 

 

“I figured this would be a good place to explore, and there are plenty of hotels for the night. Plus, we've been driving for about 8 hours now, it's high time for a break,” Maura over-explains, as if nervous for Jane's response. 

 

Jane just blinks. “Okay.”

 

Maura nods as she turns the car off and gets out, watching as Jane follows after her hesitantly. She looks almost relaxed now, and the confusion is gone from her face. Maura wonders why she was so confused, it's not unheard of to stop on road trips. _Maybe she is anxious to get to her father's and I’m ruining her plans_ , Maura thinks, _I_ _hope she isn't mad at me._

 

“Jane, are you upset with me for stopping?” 

 

Jane squints a little bit and smiles, and somehow that smile alleviates all of Maura's fears. 

 

“No, stopping is good, and I said I wanted to sleep in a hotel. Why would you think I was upset with you?” 

 

“I don't know, never mind,” Maura says, and waves her hand to dismiss the thoughts, “Come on.”

 

She turns and heads up the front steps of the office porch. She's so caught up in her relief that she doesn't realize that Jane hasn't followed her until she reaches the office door. She turns back around and Jane is standing at the bottom of the stairs and looking up at her, mouth gaping.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

It takes a second for Jane to pick her jaw up off the floor and respond.

 

“Are we...staying here?”

 

“Yes. Why? Is there something wrong with this place?”

 

Jane makes a small, insecure laugh. “Uh, yeah, it's way too expensive. We can't afford this, Maura.”

 

Those words clue Maura in on something she wasn't entirely sure of. In her head, she knew that Jane was hitchhiking because she didn't have a car, but it took her until just now to realize why that might be. Even worse, Maura realized that she may not have expressed her own financial situation to the best of her ability. Even though she had told Jane that she went to boarding school, and Jane knows she has her own car, she still considered Maura to be just like her. In the same boat, as they say. 

 

She wants to give Jane a sympathetic smile, let her know that it's okay to be proud and not ask for help, but she also knows that some people may find that condescending. Instead, she schools her features into her usual neutral expression.

 

“Stay here, I'll handle it,” she says, turning back to the door and hoping Jane will listen. 

 

She's not proud of the fact that she is deceiving her new friend, but Jane had said we, and for the first time in months, she doesn’t feel so alone. She hopes that Jane thinks she's bargaining with the front desk to get them some sort of discount, when all she really has to do is hand them her credit card with the Isles family name on it. The man at the desk is more than accommodating, but she asks random questions to make the conversation go on longer than need be. As she's signing the papers and receipts she looks out the window and sees Jane, leaning against the railing and biting on her thumb nail. They make eye contact and Jane looks so scared that Maura smiles to reassure her and gives her a small thumbs up. 

 

She hands the man at the desk her car keys for the bellhops to grab her things and for the valet to take her car, and heads back out to the front porch. 

 

“Ladies, please follow me,” he says, and turns to lead them to their room.

 

“What did you do?” Jane whispers.

 

“I convinced him to give us a room,” Maura says, and it's not a complete lie.

 

“How did you manage that?” Jane questions skeptically.

 

“I'm charming,” she grins.

 

Jane chuckles. “You're not wrong.”

 

As they walk around the corner, Maura can feel Jane stiffen beside her as she holds in her gasp. In the middle of the resort are two giant pools with beautiful rock features and palm treats all around. There is an arched bridge between the two pools, and Maura realizes that this must be one of the nicest places Jane has ever been. The resort is like something you would see in a commercial for the Bahamas, but smaller in scale, and surrounded on all sides by the white buildings with the nice porches. 

 

“Holy shit,” Jane murmurs. 

 

“Mmm.”

 

“How could this dude just give us a room, I mean, look at this place!”

 

“Shhh!”

 

“Right, sorry, blending in, keeping my cool, got it.”

 

“Your room,” the desk man says, and he holds the door open for them to enter. They had made their way to the center of the bottom floor and we're now surrounded on all sides by the rest of the resort. 

 

“Thank you,” Maura says, and walks on in. 

 

Jane, however, looks around the door jamb cautiously and gives the desk clerk a nervous smile before shuffling into the room. Maura can tell she's trying to hold in her excitement because, like the rest of the resort, the suite is lavish and large and nothing she is used to experiencing. She keeps her arms close to her chest, as if touching anything would get her in trouble, and if the desk clerk notices her weird reaction, he doesn't mention it. He slips in behind Jane and closes the door, making her jump and Maura has to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing. 

 

“I will show you to the room.”

 

They follow after him down the hall, past a gorgeous kitchen with marble countertops and bar stools, to the room in the back. Like the rest of the suite, the room is large and painted in teal and white, with a TV on the wall and an ensuite bathroom. 

 

“The bathroom is fully stocked with towels and shampoo. There are instructions for using the jacuzzi and bidet in the top dresser drawer. Do you ladies have any questions?”

 

As the man talks, Jane makes her way over to the bathroom and peaks inside. Maura sees her eyes go even wider than they did before, then quickly turns back around to face the rest of the room.

 

“Yes, when is breakfast?” 

 

“Breakfast starts at 6 am and goes until 11. You can find the dining hall through the main office where you checked in.”

 

Maura can feel Jane's eyes on her as she speaks to the desk clerk. She can't tell if Jane is surprised by her or impressed, but the attention sends weird tingles down her body. She ignores her stare and keeps talking. 

 

“And are the pools open 24/7?”

 

“Yes, but we ask that any persons under the age of 18 be accompanied by an adult after dark.”

 

“Perfect. Thank you so much.”

 

“You ladies enjoy your stay,” he says, smiles, and leaves. 

 

Maura turns to look at Jane, but Jane is still taking in the room. More and more Maura worries that Jane is going to figure out that this room didn't come for free, but she hopes that day will come when they have to separate, and not in the next 24 hours. Anyone with good taste could see that this place was expensive, so Maura tries not to be anxious about this little white lie that she has told her new friend.

 

She watches Jane's eyes travel around the room, and finally land on the white duvet over the bed. She looks at it, squints, raises one eyebrow and does a double take behind her. Jane is much more expressive than she's used to. When you grow up around people pretending to be royalty, you learn pretty quickly that emotional expression is not acceptable. Maybe that's why she finds Jane so fascinating and entertaining. 

 

“There is one bed.”

 

Maura starts a little at the sudden statement, pulling her out of her reverie. 

 

“Hmm?”

 

“There is one bed,” she repeats, same tone. 

 

“Is that a problem?”

 

Jane shakes her head a little bit too slowly for Maura to actually believe she means it. 

 

“No, I just don't want to hear you snore all night, is all,” she deflects. 

 

“How do you know I snore?” Maura grins. 

 

“Well, there are other things people do in their sleep besides snore, but you get my point.”

 

“Jane, I promise you, I'm an excellent bed companion, but if it's a problem, I will sleep on the couch--”

 

“No! You got the room, you should have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch--”

 

“How about we have this argument later, when we are actually going to sleep?”

 

They both chuckle at that and Jane nods her head. 

 

“Okay, yeah, better idea.”

 

They smile at each other and for the first time the silence between them is awkward. It's a weird kind of awkward, filled with a tension that Maura can't quite place, and she wants to say something to break it but nothing comes to mind. Jane looks like she's nervous and Maura wonders why but realizes that it would be inappropriate to ask. Just as she's about to say something, Jane's stomach growls and she looks down at it with wide eyes, as if the stomach was something detached from her body. Maura finds herself laughing a bit and Jane joins in. 

 

“Maybe we should go find lunch?” Maura asks.

 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

*********

“Why does fast food taste so good after not having it for a while?”

 

They had made their way down most of Atlantic Avenue with Jane complaining of hunger at every restaurant they passed. Each place had their own enticing scent, and most of them were all sea food, which Jane made very clear wasn't in their price range. Though she had been adamant about not being able to afford it, that didn't stop Jane from looking after each place with a sad puppy dog look on her face. Nothing like having all the freedom in the world only to be hindered by money. 

 

Eventually they had found a McDonalds that Maura deemed acceptable, if any McDonalds can be considered acceptable, and ordered burgers and fries for their deprived stomachs. They sat down at one of the outdoor tables, and it took everything in Maura not to pull out a sanitary cloth and wipe off her seat before it connected with her butt. Meanwhile, Jane practically ran to the table and dug right into her food, making Maura envious of her carefree nature. 

 

“It's probably some sort of psychological thing, but I'm not a psychologist, so I would only be guessing,” Maura says, and crunches on a french fry.   

 

“What are you, then?” Jane grins. 

 

“You know, Jane, it's kind of rude to just ask someone what they are,” Maura quips.

 

Jane rolls her eyes. “You said you graduated from college, but you didn't say what your degree was. I wanna know.”

 

“Well, you could have just asked that,” Maura says, but they both know she's just joking. 

 

Jane stares her down as she eats two more fries, clearly waiting for Maura to continue. 

 

“Pre- med. After this summer, I'll be going to med school.”

 

“Ah, so that's why you're taking a trip around the country, because you know your life is over after this summer.”

 

“It is not over, it's just going to be...very hectic.”

 

“Mmm, I can understand that.”

 

“What about you, Jane?”

 

She looks down at her food as she answers, as if ashamed to admit what she's about to say.

 

“I have an Associate's degree in criminal justice. I applied for the Boston police academy,” she says, shrugging and dipping her fries in her ketchup.

 

Maura is somewhat surprised by this revelation. For someone who was so interested in law enforcement, you would think Jane would know that she shouldn't be hitchhiking down the east coast. 

 

“Wow, Jane, that's awesome,” Maura smiles. 

 

“Yeah, well, it's no med school.”

 

“I think working in Law Enforcement is wonderful. Very brave.”

 

“Yeah, my Ma isn't happy about it.”

 

“Oh, I'm sure she's just worried for your safety.”

 

Jane scoffs. “That's for sure.”

 

“I take it she doesn't know you're doing this little trip?”

 

“Oh, no, she knows I'm going to see my dad...she just doesn't know how I'm getting there,” she grins mischievously. 

 

“How is that any better?”

 

“It's not, but whenever I mention anything about pop, she doesn't want to hear it, so it's really her fault.”

 

Maura nods as she pulls out a pamphlet she picked up at the front desk, having finished her meal. She sees Jane snag a few of her leftover fries out of the corner of her eye and wonders if she ever went without food when she was younger. The possibility makes her feel sad.

 

“What do you have there?” Jane asks.

 

“Just a pamphlet of local activities.”

 

“Oooo, like what?” 

 

“Well, there are a lot of different shops along this road, but there is also an aquarium up the road, a water park, go karts--”

 

“Go karts? No way,” Jane exclaims.

 

“Is that something you would like to do?”

 

“Um, hell yeah!”

 

Maura smiles at Jane's excited face. Her brown expressive eyes are shining so bright, like a kid in a candy store, and it makes Maura feel warm all over. She's so beautiful, and Maura isn't sure why she feels so overwhelmed by this fact. She wants nothing more than to give her everything she wants. 

 

“Okay, we can do that.”

*********

The boardwalk is busy with people, but slowing down as each lifeguard leaves their stand for the night. They had decided to leave the beach for last, both women finding comfort in the sound of the waves and the darkening of the sky. The sun wasn't completely set, but looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, where the sun could no longer shin, made their world seem slightly ominous. 

 

They had spent most of the afternoon doing small touristy things like Go-Karting, which Jane excelled at for some odd reason, and walking around the Marine Science Museum. Maura couldn't help but add little tidbits of information for each exhibit they walked through and a few times felt insecure for doing so, but then she would turn and Jane would be staring at her so intently that she almost lost her train of thought. She never really had anyone who was so interested in what she had to say. It was refreshing. 

 

Now, after making their way back to the beach, the two women sit on a bench with ice cream cones, looking out across the increasingly choppy water. People on bikes and in roller skates fly past them, but the water is so hypnotizing that they don't even notice. 

 

“Maura, what's your family like?”

 

Although caught slightly off guard, her response is pretty quick. She shrugs, and Jane raises an eyebrow in silent question.

 

“My parents were kind of distant when I was younger,” she explains, “They travelled around a lot. Still do.”

 

“That why they sent you to boarding school?” she asks around a lick of her ice cream. 

 

“Oh, they didn't send me, it was my idea.”

 

Jane's eyebrows knit together over her ice cream and her lips turn down in a slight frown. Maura just shrugs again.

 

“They thought it was a good idea, a better education and all that.”

 

Jane shakes her head. “Man, my Ma had a problem when I went to college for two years. I wish I had that kind of freedom.”

 

“Well, for what it's worth, your mother sounds wonderful.”

 

“Yeah, wonderfully annoying,” Jane says, and she chuckles, “but I love her.”

 

“You said earlier that you had two brothers?”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“What are they like?”

 

“They are annoying, too! You're lucky you don't have brothers, they are loud and gross and they take so fucking long in the bathroom in the mornings. I don't even know what they do in there!!”

 

Maura finds that she can laugh easily with Jane and this time is no exception. Throughout the day she had made many comments about her family, a family she clearly loved, and told wonderful stories about her own childhood. She was polite and surprisingly smart and Maura wonders how she never met someone like this at her own college. 

 

They make their way back to the resort as the sun finally goes down, weaving their way through giant crowds on the street as Jane tells more stories about her brothers when they were younger. In a way, Maura is envious of the joy Jane has experienced as a child, but at the same time she's so glad those experience have made this wonderful woman that she gets to speak to today. 

 

It's nearing 10 p.m. when they arrive at the resort, the lights in the pools making the water glitter against the white of the buildings, and Jane gasps again as if seeing it for the first time. 

 

“Wow, look at this. I'm never going to get tired of this,” Jane says, her voice sounding dreamy. 

 

Maura, too, feels mesmerized by the water. For a second she thinks about how tired she is, and how she should go to bed so she can get up early to drive in the morning. In the next second, she finds herself uncharacteristically wanting to rip her clothes off and drag Jane into the pool with her. She had promised herself when she started this trip that she would try new things, and swimming at night was something she had never done. 

 

“Do you want to swim?” She asks Jane, and although she didn't mean it, it comes out sounding seductive. 

 

She sees Jane take a breath in, surprised by the sultry tone of Maura's voice and the question itself. She looks around, hesitating before making her answer. 

 

“Uh…” she pauses, then continues cautiously, “yeah.”

 

In a bold, very un-Maura like fashion, she grabs Jane's hand and leads her to the side of the pool. Her heart is pounding, suddenly nervous about touching her and potentially crossing a boundary that would be unacceptable to cross. Jane dutifully follows after her, her eyes wide, and Maura can see the pool light reflecting in her eyes. 

 

Without much thought, she pulls her shirt off over her head and avoids looking at Jane as she works her shorts down her hips. She can feel Jane's eyes on her and the resort is eerily quiet, save for the sound of rustling clothes, and the silence teases up goosebumps along her skin. 

 

“Maura, we don't have bathing suits on,” Jane whispers.

 

Maura shrugs. The girl who used to care about that sort of thing disappeared with the sun. 

 

“Well, at least we’re covered, what's the problem?”

 

She finally turns to Jane, hands on her hips, and she sees Jane take a silent but large gulp as her eyes train on her bare stomach. 

“No problem,” Jane squeaks, and Maura has to bite her lip to hold back a smirk. 

 

She finds herself wanting to watch Jane take off her clothes, wants to see that skinny body in all its glory. Instead, she turns away from Jane with a raised eyebrow and quietly slips into the pool. The water is icy, causing her to gasp the last bit of air she has left back into her lungs. Her chest feels heavy, like she needs to cough, but she ignores it and dips her head under the surface of the water. 

 

The sound of the splash is muffled by the water, but the displacement gently knocks her body to the side. Jane's long tan legs come to stand next to her as she finally comes back to air. 

 

“Jesus Christ, it's freezing,” Jane whines.

 

“Well, it is only May.”

 

“You could have at least warned me!”

 

“Would you have gotten in if I did?”

 

“No, I would have dragged you back to our room.”

 

Jane had decided to keep her tank top on, but considering it's color, she should have just taken it off anyway. The white material clings to her stomach and her breasts, showing off her modest black bra and defined abs that Maura wasn't expecting. Her colorful boy shorts look like a kaleidoscope in the glow of the water.

 

“You might as well take that tank top off, it's not really doing much for you,” Maura says, and her fingers itch to reach forward and grab it. 

 

Jane looks down at herself and sighs, rolling her eyes as she peels the shirt off over her head. Her torso is just as tan as the rest of her body, and Maura is not sure why she finds this so surprising. 

 

“Some of us are not as willing to be in our underwear in public,” she mutters. 

 

“This isn't public, it's a private resort.”

 

“Yeah, but we aren't the only guests. Do you see how many windows are facing this area?”

 

Maura just chuckles. “From that distance, these look like bathing suits.”

 

Jane tilts her head a bit as she considers. 

 

“Well, I'm still uncomfortable.”

 

“You could always go inside,” Maura grins. 

 

“But then I'd be alone, and what's the point of that?”

 

She says it as a joke, but the undertone of her words is obvious. The way she looks away slightly and dips her head down tells Maura that Jane may have revealed more than she wanted to. 

 

“Being alone isn't so bad, sometimes,” Maura murmurs.

 

“Psh, tell that to my Ma,” Jane scoffs, and folds her arms over the concrete around the pool. 

 

“She doesn't like you being alone? That's odd.”

 

“Relationship wise, yes. She doesn't appreciate that I don't have a husband already.”

 

Maura pauses as she takes this statement in, not sure what to say. Should she tell Jane that she doesn't need to be in a relationship, or change the subject?

 

“Is that something you want?” She asks quietly instead. 

 

Jane shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. But not right now, you know? I'm trying to get my career off the ground, I can't really do that and worry about men too.”

 

Maura nods. “Understandable.”

 

“I want someone who is going to support my decision to be a cop, not someone who knew me before and tries to convince me not to do it.”

 

“Have you been with someone like that already?”

 

Jane scoffs. “No, I...haven't really been in a relationship before. I'm just saying, I want my husband to meet me as Jane the Cop and also my wife, not just my wife. Does that make sense?”

 

Maura nods. “Of course it does.”

 

“What about you? You got a boyfriend?”

 

“No, I'm single.”

 

“Girlfriend?”

 

Maura laughs and Jane raises a jesting eyebrow.

 

“I'm not saying I'm opposed because I wouldn't be, but no, I don't have a girlfriend either.”

 

“So you're gay?”

 

“In a sense, yes.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“I am...bisexual, I would say. Which is technically a gay term, but others would not consider me 'gay’. It all depends on how others see it.”

 

Maura looks over at Jane and she is biting her cheek in concentration. One long finger traces water into patterns against the concrete while her chin is balanced on the other arm. Her hair is even darker wet than dry, but somehow the water and the moon light reflect off it, making her look like some sort of goddess of the night. She so busy concentrating on Jane's beauty that she almost misses what she says. 

 

“I might be...gay, too.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Jane trains her eyes steadily on the ground and Maura can tell she's nervous about what she just said. 

 

“Is...is that okay?”

 

Maura gives her a sympathetic smile and moves just a bit closer in the water.

 

“Of course it's okay, Jane. And it's also okay if you figure out later that you aren't,” she whispers.

 

She wants to reach out and rub her shoulder in comfort, but considering the topic of conversation, she decides it's best not to. It's taken her a few years, but Maura is proud that she's finally learned when it is and isn't appropriate to initiate physical comfort. 

 

“I've...I've never really been attracted to anyone before… but I think I like girls more than boys.”

 

“Well, the non attraction is a whole different term entirely, but I don't know if this pool is a great place to have life changing discussions,” Maura chuckles. 

 

Jane scrunches up her shoulders and wraps her arms around herself while giving Maura a sad puppy dog face. 

 

“Yeah, it's freezing, can we get out?”

 

Maura nods. “I realize my spontaneous decision to swim practically naked at night in the middle of May was a poor decision on my part.”

 

She watches as Jane pulls herself out of the water by the side of the pool, her arm and back muscles flexing deliciously in the blue glow of the pool. She's so physically fit, and Maura isn't sure how she didn't realize it before, and her legs are toned to perfection. 

 

She's trying hard not to stare at Jane's ass when Jane turns back around and holds out her hand for Maura to take. 

 

“Don't pull me back in,” Jane says. 

 

“Why would I do that, you wanted to get out?”

 

“Just grab my hand, Maura.”

 

So she does, and as Jane basically dead lifts her out of the water, she has to take in a sudden breath to stop herself from swooning like an overdramatic woman from the 17th century. Who needs a man when you have Jane around?

*********

The sun shines brightly in Maura's face, the darkness behind her eyelids now tinted in a pink glow. She can feel the warmth on her face as she slowly cracks one eye open. 

 

Something feels different, and it's not until she lifts her head and sees a mound of black curly hair on her chest that she understands what's happening. Somehow, late in the morning, Maura and Jane had fallen asleep in the bed together, the TV glowing softly in the corner on mute. She had expected Jane to sleep in the bed with her, there was no point in sending her to the couch when there was plenty of room, but this, she didn't expect. 

 

During the night, Jane had rolled over onto Maura, her cheek pressed against her breast, an arm wrapped around her waist, and a leg thrown over her thighs. The warmth of her body is perfect, considering the sheets and duvet have magically disappeared, and she can feel Jane's hot breath through the thin material of her shirt. She is out cold. 

 

Maura isn't sure what she should do, whether it be wake Jane or let her sleep. She gently threads her fingers in Jane's wild hair before turning her head to look at the clock. 

 

_ It's only 6, I'll let her sleep a bit longer _ , she thinks, and gently scratches Jane's scalp.

 

Maura's body isn't sure whether to be happy or nervous about this interaction. Did Jane do this on purpose, or does her body naturally seek comfort in another when she sleeps? She had expected Jane to snore, or kick, or maybe even talk in her sleep. Never did she consider that Jane would be a sleep cuddler. 

 

It's not like it wasn't nice. It's been months since anyone has touched her, let alone slept in bed with her, and to be honest she missed the physical contact of another human being. She wants to stay this way for at least another few hours, but would that be taking advantage of Jane? She's not entirely sure. She twirls one of Jane's curls around her finger as she stares up at the ceiling, trying not to startle Jane. 

 

A few minutes later she comes to on her own, nuzzling slightly into Maura and squeezing her gently before realizing what she is doing. It takes everything in Maura not to whimper and tell her to come back as Jane pulls away. Her sheepish smile tells Maura that she's embarrassed that she was found in that position. 

 

“Sorry,” she murmurs, her voice raspy from sleep. 

 

Jane looks so adorable, her hair mussed from sleep, her eyes squinting to block out the sun, Maura wants to pull her back down against her chest and never leave. 

 

“That's okay, I'm not complaining,” she responds softly.

 

Jane gives her a small sleepy smile that Maura returns, before flopping back down onto her side of the bed. She stretches out her long limbs, almost hitting Maura in the face and making little involuntary squeaking sounds. Her whole body relaxes back into the mattress after a minute or two. 

 

“I didn't mean to fall asleep here,” she says. 

 

“I would have insisted you sleep in here anyway,” Maura counters. 

 

Jane groans as she takes a look around the room. 

 

“Do we really have to leave?” She whines.

 

“Depends on when you want to get to your father's house.”

 

Jane sighs. “Fine, I guess I better get up.”

 

Maura slides her legs off the side of the bed and slips her feet into the complimentary slippers on the floor. She can hear Jane struggling to get out of the tangle of sheets at her feet and tries not to laugh when she turns around and Jane is on the floor. Jane's head pops up above the mattress and glares at Maura's repressed smile. 

 

“Shut up.”

 

“I didn't say anything!”

 

“I was going to offer you the shower first, but if that's how you're going to act--”

 

“No, Jane, please??”

 

“Nope!”

 

They both make a break for the bathroom door but Jane's long legs give her the advantage. She slides smoothly into the bathroom and slams the door in Maura's face, laughing as Maura jiggles the doorknob hopelessly.


	3. North Carolina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the playlist for the chapters 3 through 5. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXgV_E-UrbbwQJgl-wUR-OUxn9RzVtp9Q
> 
> Enjoy!

**Location: Somewhere in North Carolina, 9:30 a.m.**

 

They managed to leave the hotel at 8:30, leaving Virginia behind in the rear view mirror. Maura can tell that Jane is not a morning person, even an hour after waking up she is still slow to react to certain things. Like when Maura is speaking to her, for instance.

 

They have managed to pass the North Carolina state border before Jane finally makes one entire coherent statement.

 

“Do you have a phone I can borrow?”

 

Maura did not expect Jane to want to say anything for at least another hour, so hearing her voice is surprising and she almost misses her question.

 

“Uh...yes. It’s in the center console,” she says, reaching into it and rummaging for her phone. When she finds it, she hands it to Jane, all without taking her eyes off the road once. Jane makes a small noise, impressed by Maura's skills.

 

“You a trucker for a living?” She chuckles.

 

“Nope, just used to driving is all,” Maura smiles.

 

“That was impressive.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Maura takes in her surroundings. There are many trees along the highway, despite the 4 lane road, and they occasionally drive by signs for exits with fast food and coffee. She knows she's going to have to stop eventually for all her usual fill ups, but her gas tank is only halfway empty for the time being. When they left, Maura decided she would move inland to get a different sort of atmosphere on her drive, but with the trees all around her all she can think about is Boston.

 

“You're phone is dead.”

 

“What?” She looks over briefly and sees Jane tapping on the black screen with her impatient fingers. “Let me see.”

 

Jane hands her the phone and she gives it a once over quickly before pressing down on the power button for a few long seconds. The screen lights up and starts powering up the operation system.

 

“Nope, not dead,” she says, handing it back to Jane, “Just off.”

 

“I knew that,” Jane mumbles.

 

Maura remembers shutting down her phone two days ago. It was a decision she made immediately after walking away from the end of her graduation ceremony and she knew what she would find when she turned it back on again. She wishes that she hadn't.

 

“Do you need coffee?” Maura asks, and it's a joke but at the same time she's trying not to go too deep into her own thoughts.

 

“Ugh, yes, please, can't you see I'm dying over here?” Jane whines.

 

“Well, maybe not dying, but going through caffeine withdrawl, sure.”

 

“Well, you are the doctor.”

 

Maura's laugh falls short when she hears the incessant buzzing of her phone as multiple texts and missed call notifications come flooding through. This is exactly why she didn't want to turn her phone back on. She can feel Jane's curiosity buzzing throughout the car, along with her phone, and hopes that she won't ask any questions, but as she looks over she knows she's trapped. There are very few places to go in a car.

 

Jane turns the phone so Maura can see the screen.

 

“G.F.? As in, girlfriend?” She smirks and wiggles her eyebrows.

 

Maura rolls her eyes. “No, G.F. stands for something else.”

 

“You've gotten a lot of calls from this mysterious G.F., about 30 in the last 2 days. And double that in texts--”

 

“Jane, just do what you were going to--”

 

“Oh, there is a call coming in right now. Should I answer it?”

 

“NO, you absolutely may NOT answer him!”

 

“So it _is_ a him?”

 

“Jane,” Maura whines, “please, just ignore him, do what you have to do, and turn the phone off again.”

 

“Okaaayyy,” Jane says, typing a number into the key pad, “whatever you say, Maura.”

 

Maura turns her head long enough to see Jane press the phone to her ear before turning back to the road. There isn't much to see, so when Jane starts talking, there is nothing to distract her from listening in to her conversation.

 

“Frankie, thank God you answered and not Ma...No, I'm fine, unless you told her?...okay good...I'd say I'm about halfway there...hold on, let me check,” she holds her hand over the bottom of the phone and turns to Maura, “Where are we?”

 

“Forty minutes south of the North Carolina border,” Maura says.

 

“North Carolina...What do you mean I'm not making good time? Have you ever hitchhiked before?...Very funny Frankie, I'm laughing soooo hard...Hey, has Pa called yet?...No I was just-- hey hold on for a second, Frankie.”

 

She pulls the phone away from her ear and looks briefly at the screen before showing it to Maura. It's G.F. again and Maura rolls her eyes to stop herself from groaning.

 

“Just ignore it.”

 

“Well, I would appreciate it if this moron would stop interrupting my conversation.”

 

“I know, I'm sorry. I'm sure he'll stop.”

 

Jane rolls her eyes and puts the phone back to her ear.

 

“Sorry, I'm borrowing my friend's phone and some dude keeps calling…Yes, I made a friend! Why is that so hard to believe?...Yeah, well, that's none of your-- UGH, Frankie, I gotta go. Just, tell Ma I'm okay, and I'll call you again tomorrow or something,” she says, and ends the call.

 

Maura can see that G.F. is calling again, his name flashing on the screen. Just like everything else, he has now ruined Jane's conversation with her brother.

 

“What is with this dude, Maura?”

 

Maura shakes her head and trains her eyes on the road. “I don't want to talk about it.”

 

“That bad, huh?”

 

“Just, give me the phone, I'll turn it off--”

 

“He's calling again! Jesus-- okay, I'm answering it.”

 

Maura gasps. “Jane, no!”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Jane, it's fine, please--”

 

In a voice even deeper than her own, Jane answers the call. “This is Maura's phone.”

 

It takes everything in her not to smash her head against the steering wheel and drive the car into the woods. Jane is manipulating her voice to sound like a man, and for some reason it actually works. She shakes her head, sighing as she keeps observing the path in front of her.

 

“No, I'm sorry, Maura is preoccupied right now...I'm answering her phone because she's driving and I would appreciate it if my girlfriend didn't kill us trying to talk to--yes, my girlfriend, that is correct...sure, I will _absolutely_ have her call you back when she's done, who are you?...Garrett? Okay, got it...yep, bye.”

 

Maura looks over, her mouth gaping open from the minute Jane said girlfriend. Jane simply looks back at her and smiles.

 

“Problem solved,” she says, and her voice is back to normal.

 

“Jane! You told you him I was your girlfriend??”

 

“What? You wanted him to stop calling, and now he will.”

 

Maura pauses for a second, hating herself before the words even leave her mouth.

 

“What if I didn't want him to stop calling?”

 

She looks over, sees Jane's blank face, and realizes that was a stupid thing to say.

 

“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say,” Jane says monotonously.

 

“Look, I don't really want to talk about it, it's a long story.”

 

“We've got at least 12 hours to kill,” Jane says, looking at an imaginary watch on her wrist.

 

Maura sighs. “Fine. He's my ex boyfriend.”

 

“Yeah, I got that much. What happened?”

 

Maura shakes her head. “He accused me of cheating on him and then decided to move to another country without telling me.”

 

“Cheating?”

 

“Yes, Jane. With another woman.”

 

“Oh.” Jane goes quiet. “Did you?”

 

Maura scoffs. “Of course not. I loved him.”

 

She sees Jane nod out of the corner of her eye.

 

“He ignored me for months and then suddenly started calling again. I wanted him to know how it felt, to be ignored.”

 

“Revenge,” Jane murmurs.

 

“Yes, I guess so.”

 

Jane taps her fingers on the side of her door. The silence in the car is heavy and deadly.

 

“So are you going to call him back?”

 

Maura thinks about this for a few minutes. Sure, at the time when she and Garrett were together she felt she loved him. Even when he left she thought she still did, that she was upset because she lost the love of her life, not because she had lost the only person she had. At the time he was caring, understanding, but she expressed her admiration for a girl's outfit and suddenly he thought she was sleeping with her. It's a stupid cliche, the idea that bisexuals are cheaters because they are attracted to two genders, and he had shown his ignorance by accusing her just because of her sexuality. Did she really want someone like that back in her life? Someone so insecure that she couldn't compliment someone's clothes without being accused of cheating? Did she really need him as a friend, or even a lover, when she wasn't alone anymore?

 

“No,” she says, smiling a little at Jane, “I'm not going to call him back. Thank you, Jane.”

 

Jane smiles back softly. “No problem.”


	4. South Carolina

**Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 2:24 p.m.**

 

Of all the beaches in North America, the one she had heard about the most was Myrtle Beach, and as she drags Jane through the crowds, she’s not disappointed. The water is just a bit more blue, less cloudy, than the water in Virginia. The differences between the two are astounding, the crowds being much larger here and the roads are completely different. She hears Jane make a small noise of wonder and approval as they make their way towards the ocean front.

 

The first thing that catches Maura’s eye is the giant Ferris Wheel in the middle of the boardwalk. There had been one in Virginia as well, but this one seemed to be twice the size of the previous one and surrounded by other rides and restaurants. Somehow, they found themselves in the center of Broadway at the Beach, hundreds and hundreds of people, some yelling at their children to slow down as they run out ahead of them, others making their way leisurely through the shops and restaurants.

 

Maura is overwhelmed. Over the years, Maura has figured out that people are not her strong suit. In fact, she has also realized that the scariest thing in this world is a mob of people in an area such as this one. Not only can crowds like this become one in thought and attack someone for potentially one small innocent mistake, but they can also accidentally trample someone without anyone even noticing. Needless to say, this area is not very comforting. Her heart starts racing just a bit faster and suddenly she is finding it difficult to breathe as she realizes she is all alone in this crowd of strangers.

 

The people start closing in on her, like the walls of a trap in those movies where they move in slowly before crushing someone to death, but it seems so much worse because it’s people who could stop but purposefully choose not to. She can’t seem to move her feet fast enough, standing still in one place as all the people move around her. Her eyes start to tear up, but just as she’s about to let out a sob, long, warm, fingers wrap around her own.

 

“Hey, are you okay?”

 

It’s Jane. Somehow she had forgotten about Jane, although she’s not sure how. Bright eyed, beautiful, amazonian Jane, the woman who had been the pleasant star in most of her dreams last night.

 

She’s still trying to breathe as Jane focuses on her face, her eyes wide with fright as she realizes that something is wrong.

 

“Come on,” Jane says softly, pulling Maura close and pushing her way through the crowd until they are off to the side. The people stream by them like a river, the different colors blending together into one giant blur. Jane gently sits Maura down by the shoulders onto a bench, before kneeling in front of her and taking both of her hands.  

 

“Are you okay? What do you need me to do?”

 

Maura closes her eyes and shakes her head, almost doubling over in half as she presses her forehead into Jane’s shoulder. She had meant to put her head between her knees, but when you’re that out of it, it’s kind of hard to pay attention to obstacles around you. She feels Jane squeeze her thighs and it’s so grounding, feels so real, that her heart starts to slow down. She breathes, counts to 7, in and out, before she can finally breathe normally again.

 

“Thank you,” Maura breathes into her shoulder.

 

“Let’s get you some water.”

 

The next couple minutes pass by in a haze, the only real thing is the feel of Jane’s fingers intertwined with her own as she guides her around like a lame horse. She’s not sure where they are going, or whether Jane actually knows where she is going, but she finds it easier to be led by Jane than to make a decision in that moment. The next thing she knows, Jane is sitting her down on another bench, which lerches and starts moving towards the sky.

 

“The Ferris Wheel…”

 

“Yeah, I saw you eyeing it earlier,” Jane chuckles.

 

“I’ve never been on one,” Maura says, and turns to look out at the ocean from her vantage point. It’s so beautiful from up above, the beach looking so small compared to the expanse of the ocean. _It really does go on forever_ , she thinks, _I can believe that from up here_. She finds herself finally coming back to her head, and her surroundings are bleeding back in. She tries not to cringe as she thinks about the amount of bacteria she is probably sitting in, because Jane is looking at her, chewing on the corner of her mouth, eyes full of concern.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yes,” Maura looks down at her feet in silent shame, “I’m sorry about that. I don’t do well with crowds.”

 

She sees Jane shrug out of the corner of her eye.

 

“That’s okay, you couldn’t help it… I was just a little worried, you just… froze.”

 

Maura looks up into Jane’s beautiful brown eyes and presses her lips together. The fact that Jane was worried makes her heart ache heavily, and a feeling of dread weighs her down. She didn’t want to make Jane worry, they were supposed to be having fun.

 

“Thank you, Jane. I’m okay now,” she says, and smiles softly. Jane returns it quickly and slides a little closer to Maura on the bench.

 

“No problem. So, what do you want to do now?”

 

Their cart had finally reached the bottom of the wheel, stopping to let them out and allow another couple on. The couple immediately starts making out as soon as the ride starts moving again, and Maura deliberately turns her head away from Jane as her cheeks flush red.

 

Because the only person she could think of when she saw that couple was Jane, and she didn’t want to admit that the inappropriate image that flashed across her vision wasn’t completely unwelcome.

*********

They had been walking around for hours, looking in shops that Jane moaned her way through and peering into windows of museums she insisted they couldn’t afford. Maura had wanted to find some place to eat for dinner, but Jane had insisted on getting the cheaper food from a hot dog stand, and because Jane was so insistent and content with her corn dog, Maura did not bother to explain to her that, mathematically, they were spending more for less food at the stand than if they just sat down somewhere. Who was she to ruin Jane’s happiness?

 

They walk around freely from place to place, the people clearing out as dinner time comes and goes, leaving them and a couple hundred routy teenagers in the area with all the carnival games. They had been talking about their college classes, or rather Jane was talking animatedly about different laws she had never heard of before and whether they were dumb or not, and Maura was half listening while admiring Jane’s hands. One hand is flying around excitedly as Jane speaks, the other is nestled securely in Maura’s small hand. Ever since the Ferris wheel, Jane had one hand on Maura at all times, as if she were afraid that Maura would run off without her. Her hands are warm, her fingers strong and soft, and it takes everything in Maura not to lift the back of Jane’s hand and feel the smoothness against her lips.

 

“All these games are a rip off, you know,” Jane mutters as a girl curses after missing a shot, “These games should be illegal.”

 

Maura hums, skeptically. “Not a rip off, per se, just requires more thought than you would think.”

 

“Oh, really, smartypants? Prove it,” Jane grins.

 

Maura looks around at the games, finally deciding to settle on the Bottle Tower a few feet away. There are three different towers with different numbers of bottles, the goal is to knock over all the bottles of all three using 9 balls. The first tower is simple, only three bottles stacked together, the next has 10 bottles stacked in a perfect triangle, the last has 21 bottles stacked together. She leads Jane over to the booth, letting go of her hand to hand the man her money.

 

“Which prize am I going for, Jane?”

 

Grinning, Jane looks around at her options, finally settling on the big tortoise in the back the size of a medium sized dog.

 

“That.”

 

“What do I have to do to win that tortoise, sir?”

 

With a monotone, the man says, “Knock all three towers down with only one ball each.”

 

Maura nods, picks up one of the balls and gets into position. She takes in the bottles, trying to determine weight and how much force she is going to have to use. She can feel Jane watching her, an amused smile on her face, as if she knows that Maura isn’t going to win. Maura smirks to herself and avoids Jane’s eyes as she throws one of the balls and knocks down the smallest tower easily.

 

“Anyone who knows how to play baseball can do that, Maura.”

 

“I don’t play baseball, Jane, what is your point?”

 

She throws the next one, and all the bottles of the second biggest tower clatter to the ground.

 

“Okay, a bit more impressive.”

 

Maura takes in the last tower again, tilting her head side to side to get better visual angles before shuffling a bit to her left and taking in a deep breath. Jane has her arms crossed against her chest, that shit eating grin still on her face as she watches Maura position herself to take aim. She throws the ball a bit off center, but as the ball leaves her fingertips, it spins, creating a curve that knocks all bottom 6 bottles over, starting a domino effect as all the others tumble after them. Maura turns to Jane with a smug look on her face, Jane’s eyes wide with surprise as the man hands her the big tortoise without a word.

 

“See?” Maura says, handing Jane the tortoise, “Not a rip off.”

 

Jane squints. “You just got lucky.”

*********

 

**Location: Plantersville, South Carolina. 8:50 p.m.**

 

They travel just about an hour outside of Myrtle Beach when it starts to rain.

 

Before leaving, Maura had insisted they travel through the night and only stop when she got tired, not wanting to keep Jane away from her destination for much longer. Maura could tell that Jane had wanted to stay the night, but it seemed that Jane didn’t want to question her choices after her meltdown earlier in the afternoon. In a way, Maura was embarrassed for reacting that way, but more so she was embarrassed that Jane had to see it. Whenever something like that happened when she was with Garrett, he would just tell her she was overreacting and carry on whatever he was doing as Maura gasped her way through it. So far, Jane had been the best partner she had ever had, and they weren’t even in a relationship.

 

She insisted that they drive through the night for many reasons. For one, she didn’t want to end up in a compromising position with Jane like the morning before, but she was also embarrassed by her panic attack, and she needed some time alone in the dark to process through everything. She told Jane that she could pick the music and fall asleep whenever she wanted to, promising to stop if she felt too tired to keep driving safely. Everything had been going smoothly, until the rain.

 

It is basically pitch black outside, the headlights reflecting faintly off the faded paint on the road. The rain comes suddenly, pounding on the windshield and causing Jane to jump a little bit.

 

“What the hell is happening?”

 

“Shit, this is a lot of rain.”

 

Then, there is a ding from her dashboard and before she even looks down, she can tell the check engine light is on. Back in Boston, she had been having problems with the sensor, meaning it turned on every time the humidity rose, and hadn’t had the time to get it checked out at her mechanic’s garage.

 

“Maura, we have to pull over, your engine--”

 

“There is an exit coming up, I’ll get off there.”

 

She pulls off the exit and thankfully, or maybe not, there is a cheap motel right off the side of the highway.

 

“I’m not sure this is gonna let up, we’ll have to stop here.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Maura is so thankful that Jane doesn’t argue with her. Had it been anyone else, they would have insisted she find some place nicer, but as Maura runs through the rain with Jane and enters the lobby, she curses herself for not staying in Myrtle Beach when she had the chance. The first thing she notices is a small TV on the front desk playing the weather channel. Maura only catches snippets of what the man is saying as she rings the bell, words like “throughout the night” and “heavy thunderstorms” confirms what she expected in the car. The rain is going to last for a while.

 

“Hey, I’m going to the bathroom,” Jane murmurs.

 

“Hurry, please,” Maura says, jokingly, but she can tell that Jane sees some nervousness in her eyes, smiling comfortingly as she walks away.

 

“What can I do for ya?” the man behind the counter asks. His southern accent is so thick that Maura is taken slightly aback and has to go over his words a couple times before they process.

 

“I need a room for the night please.”

 

“Just you?”

 

“No, two people.”

 

By the time Jane comes back from the bathroom, the man has produced two keys and informed Maura of the check out time in the morning. She is waiting by the front door of the lobby when Jane swaggers her way back. Her legs seem exceptionally long, longer than they did before, her shorts riding up just a bit more than normal. She knows she's staring, so she shakes her head, hoping Jane didn't notice.

 

“Everything all set up?”

 

Maura nods and hands her one of the two keys. “It’s room 20.”

 

“Sweet, you find the room, I’ll get our bags.”

 

The room is...not as nice as the one they stayed in before. The sheets and coloring on the wall make the place look cheap and kind of gross, but Maura figures she can just make do. The man had given her a room with one bed, again. So much for avoiding Jane.

 

Behind her, Jane bursts through the door with an exhausted huff, dropping their stuff gently on the ground before closing the door again. Her hair and clothes are soaked to the bone, and Maura’s heart flutters at Jane’s little smile. She is drenched, they are in a shitty motel room, she just carried their stuff to the room in the rain, and she’s still in a good mood. Maura wishes she could be like that, but for now, having Jane happy makes her happy, too.  

 

“I was gonna bring the turtle, but I guess it's a good thing I didn't, or else we would be three to a bed,” Jane says as she flops onto the bed and reaches for the TV remote.

 

Maura isn't sure what she's supposed to do. Ever since her thoughts of Jane had turned inappropriate, she had been avoiding every possible situation involving them and a bed. She just sort of stands in the middle of the room, between the bed and the bathroom door, shuffling her feet and trying to look everywhere but at Jane.

 

“And...the cable is out. Awesome,” Jane mutters.

 

In order to distract herself, Maura walks over to their things and carries them to a better spot in the room before deciding to search through her own bag for some new clothes and toiletries. As she searches for her hair brush, her fingers connect with smooth glass and suddenly she gets a brilliant idea.

 

“Hey, Jane, do you want some wine?”

 

“Wine? You do not just casually have wine in your bag.”

 

“It's a 1995--”

 

“Okay, I don't care what it is, yes, wine would be awesome! Do you have a corkscrew, too?”

 

“Of course!”

 

Jane rolls her eyes and smiles. “Why am I not surprised?”

 

“Why would I bring a wine bottle with me and not bring a corkscrew to open it?”

 

She pulls the corkscrew out of the side of her bag and slides it into the cork, easily pulling it out like a wine pro should. She hears Jane's hum of approval, which quickly stops when she puts the bottle to her lips and takes a sip.

 

“Maura!”

 

Maura just shrugs and places the bottle back down on the dresser. “We don't have glasses.”

 

Jane squints as she looks Maura up and down. The evaluation sends a small shiver up her spine. Or is that the alcohol?

 

“Are you secretly an alcoholic? Or do you just get weird at night?”

 

Maura's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

 

“Weird? What do you mean?”

 

“I don't know,” Jane shrugs, “You get kinda reckless, a little flirty--”

 

“Flirty?”

 

“Yeah, the pool last night? Very flirty.”

 

Maura feels shame go through her body and her heart aches in her chest. She feels so weird, like the world is caving in because Jane thinks she's flirty and doesn't seem to appreciate it. She's disappointed in herself for being that way, and for encroaching on Jane's comfort zone without consent. She takes another sip of wine, avoiding her eyes, and puts the bottle back down onto the dresser. She can feel herself starting to tear up and for the second time that day, she is embarrassed by her emotional state.

 

“I'm going to take a shower,” she declares softly, “Please help yourself.”

 

“Maura--”

 

She closes the door to the bathroom before Jane can say anything else, and through the door she hears Jane fall silent.

 

_But of course, what was I thinking?_ She scolds herself as the lukewarm water of the shower trickles down her spine. She wants to scrub away her embarrassment, cleanse herself of Jane and move on, but all she has are her hands and this cheap shower head with its shitty pressure. This is the first time, in the three days that she has been with Jane, that she has felt truly alone. Sure, during her panic attack she had forgotten Jane was there for a moment, but now she is well aware that Jane is on the other side of the door and it feels like she's on the moon.

 

She scrubs her face and let's herself cry a little bit before turning off the useless shower and stepping into her clothes. She can feel that her cheeks are flushed, but she's not sure if it's from the tears, the shower, or the alcohol.

 

When she finally allows herself to leave the room, the first thing she notices is that Jane has changed into some dry clothes. The shorts and t-shirt hug her very nicely, and her wild head of hair looks like she has just woken up from a full night of sleep.

 

_Why does she have to be so gorgeous?_ Maura scowls to herself. She picks up the wine bottle and takes another generous gulp, ignoring the feel of Jane's eyes on her body.

 

“Maura?”

 

“Hmm?” She doesn't turn around.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Her question is tentative, cautious like maybe she's speaking to an unpredictable wild bear, and Maura's heart just hurts. It was a bad idea to pick her up, Maura thinks, especially when she's been alone for so long.

 

She turns around and Jane is staring at her, chewing the inside of her cheek and playing with her fingers. Their eyes meet across the room and Maura thinks _oh God she's too good for this world_ and wants nothing more than to make her smile again.

 

“I'm okay,” she finally says, and gives Jane a soft smile.

 

She returns it, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes as something like anxiety clouds over them.

 

“This is gonna sound weird,” Jane starts, and quickly looks down at her fidgeting hands, “but I've never really uhh...had a friend that did sleepovers, and makeovers, or any of that girly stuff. I was just...um--”

 

“Do you want me to give you a makeover?” Maura asks, although it took her a minute to figure out what Jane was trying to say. Her heart picks up speed a little bit, maybe she was overreacting earlier. Maybe they both have had too much wine.

 

“No, not that, I was just wondering...if I could like...I dunno, brush your hair or something-- it's stupid, forget it--”

 

“That's not stupid! Of course you can, let me just get my brush,” she exclaims.

 

Suddenly, it's like she's 5 years old again. She's not sure if the giddiness is the alcohol setting in or the fact that Jane wants to keep touching her, but she's glad for the change in mood. Truth be told, she had never had a friend who did sleepovers either, and she had never really had a friend in the first place, but to tell Jane that feels like giving away her true secret, that she really doesn't know how to properly interact with other people. Although, if Jane hadn't figured that out already by now, then Maura thinks she's a better actress than she gives herself credit for.

 

Once she grabs her brush, she comes back and Jane is sitting stiffly on the bed, looking slightly unsure of herself. Her eyes are on Maura as soon as she steps into the room, and her gaze makes Maura break out into a sweat.

 

“Where do you want me?” She asks.

 

“Uh,” Jane looks around for a second before patting the space in front of her on the bed, “Here is good, I guess.”

 

She hands Jane the brush, grabs the wine bottle, and crawls over the bed to sit cross legged in front of Jane. She feels the bed shift under her before Jane's long, tan legs spread out on either side of her thighs. If she wanted to, she could wrap her arms around Jane's bended knees, but instead she repeats _don't be a flirt don't be a flirt_ inside of her head. She takes one last swig of wine before placing it in the little space between her legs, like a cup holder.  

 

Long, tender fingers find their way through her golden tresses, gathering one section of hair before finally feeling the brush make its way through her tangles. Jane is so gentle, almost tentative, as if she's too afraid that she will hurt Maura. It's so loving, and it makes her feel warm all over.

 

“My Ma used to brush my hair every night,” Jane says, and it sounds like her lips are right by Maura's ear. “I would squirm and try to get away from her, but the more I struggled, the harder she was. I'm honestly surprised I'm not bald right now.”

 

Maura smiles to herself, imagining a small, Tom boyish Jane with hair even more unruly than it is today, putting up a fight with her mother. She's not sure why the image warms her heart, but it does, and sends small tingles all down her body before landing at her core.

 

“When I got older and she stopped brushing my hair for me, I kinda missed it. I missed spending time with her,” Jane sighs, sadly, “I brush her hair for her, sometimes. I think I prefer giving other people small pleasures like this, rather than receiving them.”

 

She can feel one of Jane's hands placed gently on her hip, using Maura's body to keep herself steady as she slowly runs the brush through her hair.

 

“I don't think I've ever felt hair this soft before…” Jane murmurs, so quiet that Maura thinks maybe she was just talking to herself.

 

“My mother never...did this sort of thing,” Maura says. Jane doesn't say anything, just squeezes her hip a bit and continues brushing. It's one of the few things that Maura has allowed herself to reveal about her life.

 

“Do you miss your mother?” Maura asks when Jane doesn't respond.

 

“Yeah,” she sighs.

 

The few moments of silence is filled with tension that Maura can't explain. Everything is starting to have a glow about it, the alcohol finally affecting her vision, and she feels warm and safe as the pounding of the rain continues to beat against the window.

 

“When did you realize you were gay?”

 

The question comes out of nowhere, but Maura is sort of glad that she asked. Every since that conversation in the pool, the atmosphere has been heavy with so many unanswered questions, this being one of them. She tilts her head slightly to the side, trying not to disturb Jane's brushing.

 

“My boyfriend suggested a threesome one night with another girl and I didn't object--”

 

“Well, shit, Maura don't hold anything back,” Jane says sarcastically.

 

Maura chuckles before continuing. “I sort of ended up ignoring him and only paying attention to her...it felt right, just like sleeping with him felt right.”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“I had looked at other girls in the past and thought about them, but only after that did I know for sure.”

 

Jane hums again as Maura feels her set the brush down by her leg, and replaces it with her fingers in Maura's hair. She feels her fingernails scratch gently at her scalp and it takes all of her willpower not to moan loudly at the sensation.

 

“What about you, Jane?”

 

Although she can't see her, she can hear the rustle of Jane's shirt as she shrugs.

 

“I don't know, really.”

 

“Oh come on, there must have been a moment when you realized,” Maura pushes.

 

Jane's breath is warm against her neck. She has taken the hair and started gently twisting it, as if trying to wring out the final drops of water.

 

“I mean...I guess...I met this girl and I just got this weird feeling, something I've never really felt before with anyone. And then I couldn't stop thinking about her,” she mumbles.

 

“How did you meet her?”

 

“I…” she laughs a little, “I don't want to talk about this anymore.”

 

“Oh come on, you have to at least tell me if you've talked to her or not.”

 

Jane pauses and Maura thinks she's just going to ignore her nosy comment.

 

“I haven't told her how I feel, no.”

 

And though it breaks Maura's heart to speak these words, she says, “I think you should tell her. She would probably feel the same way.”

 

Jane scoffs. “Yeah, right.”

 

“I'm serious! You're gorgeous, Jane. If she's gay, she'll go for you. She'll probably try to have sex with you on the spot--”

 

“Oookay! We aren't talking about this anymore!”

 

“I'm sorry, did I over step? I've had a lot of wine…”

 

“I can see that,” Jane says, and her arm reaches around Maura to grab the bottle. Maura doesn't stop her, just watches those long fingers wrap around the smooth neck.

 

“Well, actually, I probably would have said that sober as well…”

 

Jane laughs and takes a drink if wine as Maura starts to turn around to face her.

 

“Mm! Who said I was done?”

 

“Are you even doing anything??”

 

“Would you like me to?”

 

“I don't know. Maybe a braid?”

 

Jane grins and Maura can't help but respond in kind.

 

“I can do that.”

*********

The rain seems to pound even harder against the window and the walls, as if their little bed is the eye of a hurricane and the rest of the world is in chaos. Maura wonders if the rain will ever stop.

 

She can't sleep, but not because of the rain. She can't sleep because as soon as she closed her eyes, Jane wrapped her entire being around her from behind, whispering good night softly into her neck. She's not sure what it means, but her body tingles with arousal as Jane's fingers rest gently against her stomach.

 

She can't sleep because she's afraid that the natural paralysis of sleep will fail when Jane comes to her in her dreams, and she will overstep a boundary without even knowing it.

 

Instead, she lays stiffly on her side, feeling Jane's heartbeat through their clothes as her breath sends shivers through her body.


	5. Georgia

**Location: Somewhere in Georgia. 11:43 a.m.**

 

“Where specifically does your father live?”

 

They had gotten on the road at about 8, Maura, springing out of bed bright and early at 6 am. After spending most of the night awake in Jane's arms, she wanted to get up and get moving as soon as possible, instead of staring at the ceiling and possibly having another awkward interaction like the morning before.

 

She didn't mean to wake Jane up, but she had, and the sleepy smile and squinty eyes and raspy voice were almost too much for her. She had quickly jumped in the shower and taken their things to the car once Jane took her turn.

 

“Miami,” she states.

 

“How long has he been living there?”

 

She sees Jane shrug out of the corner of her eye. “Not long.”

 

For the first time in three days, Maura considers what might actually happen once she reaches their destination. Was she going to be expected to drop Jane off at her father's and be on her way, or would they invite her to spend the night before she travels across the country?

 

But most importantly, what was she going to do once Jane was no longer in her passenger seat?

 

“Do you think we could just drive until we get there? I know it's going to be a long stretch of driving, but we can pull over, and I can drive--”

 

“No, Jane, that's perfectly fine. I don't mind,” Maura smiles. She hopes Jane doesn't hear the slight disappointment behind her voice.

 

“Are you sure? You've been driving this whole time, I know it's taxing.”

 

“Do you even know how to drive?” Maura jokes.

 

“Yes, asshole, I know how to drive!” Jane exclaims, and smacks her arm gently.

 

“Mm, I don't believe you, I guess I better keep driving,” she grins.

 

“You're just afraid I'll be a better driver than you,” Jane mutters.

 

“I doubt that.”

 

“Whatever, Maura!”

 

She's not actually mad, Maura can tell by the inflection in her voice, but the car falls silent. Jane turns the volume up on the radio just a little bit, and they listen to the soft melody as the lush Georgia landscape passes by. It's so hypnotizing, the blur of the colors as they rush by the window and the lull of the music, that she not sure how she didn't expect this to happen.

 

It starts off as a slower blink than normal, a way to get some moisture back into her sleep deprived eyes, and then it turns into three. Her eyelids seem to get heavier and heavier, like she's physically incapable of controlling them, before finally shutting. Though she tries, she can't seem to pry them open again, and she's just about to give in when a car horn resounds down the road, and Jane screams.

 

“MAURA!”

 

Her eyes fly wide open and stare right into the front lights of an oncoming vehicle. Quickly, she turns the wheel, moving the car back into her lane just in time for the truck to rush past her.

 

“Maura, pull over, right now!”

 

“I am,” she responds meekly, and turns her flashers on as she gets to the side of the road. Once the car is at a stop and she puts it into park, her eyes start tearing up. She leans her head on the steering wheel and breathes, wanting nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She doesn't even notice Jane getting out of the car.

 

She pulls Maura's door open and places a gentle hand on her back.

 

“Come on, Maura.”

 

“I'm so sorry,” Maura whimpers.

 

“What happened?” Jane asks, rubbing circles between her shoulders. It feels so nice, Jane is too good, Maura thinks.

 

“I don't know. I...I didn't get enough sleep last night.”

 

“Then let me drive, babe, and you can sleep for a few hours,” Jane coos.

 

Maura lifts her head up from the steering wheel, slowly unbuckling her seat belt as she wipes at her face. Normally, she would argue with anyone who wanted to drive her car that it wasn't safe or good for her insurance if anything happens, but she is so exhausted that she almost killed them and Jane just called her _babe_ and she's going to be gone in just a few short hours that she gets out of the car without question.

 

“It's okay, Maura,” Jane says.

 

And as Maura looks into her eyes, she can see that it really is okay. Jane isn't mad or upset, just worried about Maura, as if the fact that she almost lost her life because of Maura is a non-issue.

 

Jane leads her to the passenger's side, squeezing her hand and murmuring gentle words to calm Maura down. The tears are still running down her cheeks as Jane buckles her in and get situated in the driver's seat.

 

She's awake just long enough to watch Jane adjust her seat and the rearview mirror before her eyes are closing again of their own free will. All the while, she can hear Jane cooing at her softly, saying everything is going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update, I'm working on the next bigger chapter :3 Thanks for reading


	6. Florida

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey uh...this turned out more explicit than I intended. Hope you enjoy ;)
> 
> Also, here is the playlist for chapters 6 and 7
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXgV_E-UrbbyP8tJYMoOJn8XuUDMZ4dEb

**Location: Daytona Beach, Florida. 3:20 p.m.**

 

The sun shines bright, her pink tinted eyelids finally opening for good. Maura had spent the last three hours in and out of sleep, waking up just long enough to ask Jane if she needed to switch. Each time, her question was answered with a fake frustrated sigh, and a “No, Maura!”, from Jane, a small smile on her face.

 

Her eyes finally adjust to the sun, revealing a brand new world that was previously invisible to her blinded eyes. The car flies by houses and trees and sidewalks filled with children walking with their friends. The little town looks bright and active, and it’s only after this thought registers that Maura realizes they are off the highway. She makes a small noise of confusion and readjusts herself into a more comfortable position.

 

“Hey, you’re up,” Jane says happily, her eyes still trained on the road.

 

“Where are we?”

 

“Daytona Beach,” Jane says, and then takes a breath that doesn’t go unnoticed by Maura. That one small pause is enough to let Maura know that Jane is hiding something. “I figured we could stop here for the day.”

 

Maura’s eyebrows knit together. “I thought you wanted to drive all the way through to Miami?”

 

“Yeah, but,” Jane shrugs, “We’re both tired, maybe we can get some better sleep tonight without all the rain.”

 

“Isn’t your father waiting for you?”

 

“Yeah, but he’ll understand,” she waves her hand as a dismissal, “I’ll call him later.”

 

Excitement and elation runs silently through Maura’s body at this new development. This detour means that she will be able to spend at least another eighteen hours with Jane alone, and less time sitting alone in a car thinking about her future as a cat lady. This morning, Jane had been so adamant about not stopping again, and Maura can’t help but wonder if the reason she changed her mind was because she wanted to spend another night together too. Whatever the reason, Maura considers this a win win situation. Jane will have time to rest before seeing her father, and Maura will be able to spend more time in Jane’s presence.

 

When the car finally comes to a stop, Maura has to do a double take to really see where they have stopped. The motel is similar to the one they slept in the night before, but seems only a tad bit safer and cleaner. She wants to argue with Jane, tell her that they can afford a nicer place, but what would be the point if she had been hiding her affluence the rest of their trip together?

 

They check in and get to their room, which is actually nicer than the room they had stayed in the night before, to Maura’s surprise. She wonders if that other motel was gross due to the major flow of traffic through the rooms, or if the people who worked there generally didn’t care. Here, the walls are covered with wallpaper, colorful seashells from floor to ceiling, and the comforter and sheets are actually white. As far as cheap motel rooms go, Maura considers, this one isn’t too bad.

 

This room also has two beds, and Maura isn’t sure if she’s sad about this, or if it is a blessing gifted to her by some greater being. Maura finally settles on the idea that this is a good thing, that she will be able to wean herself off of Jane, instead of getting used to her strong arms protecting her in the night from loneliness.

*********

“I can’t believe there is not a single fun museum in this area,” Jane whines.

 

They had been walking around for a few hours, chatting and checking out the different shops and museums before deciding where to have dinner. Every single museum they passed, Jane had turned down for one vague reason or another while continuing to stroll silently down the street.

 

Something is off. Maura isn’t sure, but she can’t help but wonder why Jane had decided to stop here if she didn’t have something she wanted to do in mind. In the car and the motel room, she had seemed fine, but now that they are out and about she is quiet. She is only responding to Maura’s nervous rambling with hums and grunts, as if making actual words with her mouth is much more effort than she can bare. Maura considers asking what is wrong, but decides not to when she remembers they still have to spend the night together. Even if they aren’t in the same bed, upsetting Jane and then spending another car trip with her would not be a good idea.

 

Jane’s whine is the first real thing she has said in half an hour.

 

“Well, there was the Living Legends of Auto Racing museum--”

 

“It was just a bunch of cars, Maura. If I wanted to look at cars, I would have just kept driving.”

 

“And the Arcade Museum?”

 

“Too expensive.”

 

Maura laughs. “Well, what were you expecting?”

 

“I don't know!” Jane says, exasperated, “Like a Ripley's Believe It or Not!”

 

“Nothing in those museums are actually based in real scientific evidence or fact.”

 

Maura can see that Jane is walking with her head hung slightly, as if she doesn’t want to see what is in front of her, or as if she doesn’t want people to see her face. Maura’s not sure what’s wrong, but she wants to hug her, or pat her on the shoulder, comfort her in the way she clearly needs to make her feel better. How did they go from being happy to this in just a few short minutes?

 

Her heart pounds in her chest as she finally makes her decision, reaching slowly for Jane’s hand. When Jane doesn’t resist, she takes this as a good sign, twining their fingers together and squeezing.

 

“What’s wrong, Jane?”

 

She doesn’t lift her head, just shrugs as they keep walking.

 

“Why did we stop here? Does it have to do with your father?”

 

She knows she’s hit the nail on the head when Jane lets out a long, shaky sigh. Maura did think it was odd that Jane never seemed to talk about him, or even ask to use her phone to call him.

 

“When he left it was… not good. Even before he left… it involved a lot of alcohol and screaming,” Jane says, and then falls silent, leaving Maura to finish her sentence in her head.

 

“You’re afraid of how he will act when you stay with him,” Maura concludes.

 

Jane nods. “Yeah.”

 

Maura can’t imagine what Jane is going through, or what she went through, with her father. Coming from a family that was so full of love for each other, despite the physical, and sometimes emotional, distance, Maura couldn’t imagine living in a home that Jane had just implied. In her head, she imagines a smaller, rounder Jane, hiding in a closet as shouting resounds outside of the door. She wants to take that little girl and this woman next to her, wrap them in her arms and protect them from everything bad. She wonders if she can convince Jane to come with her across the country instead.

 

“I know you have your trip, but I was wondering…”

 

Her heart is beating so hard in her chest that Maura feels like she might throw up. Her cheeks are on fire, kind of like she’s had half a bottle of wine already. Is Jane asking what Maura hopes she’s asking?

 

“Could you stay with me at my dad’s? Just one night, just to see how he is--”

 

“Of course, Jane.”

 

Her answer is immediate, and her decision was made the moment Jane started speaking. She smiles softly at Jane, squeezing her fingers. Finally, after hours of tension between them, Jane smiles back. Maura can tell that her mood has shifted, and suddenly the world is brighter. Maura didn’t even realize that the atmosphere had darkened with Jane’s mood, but somehow it makes sense. Even if Jane didn’t ask, she would have tried to stay with her anyway because Jane is too good of a person to not be protected.

 

And in that moment, Maura decides that protecting Jane is her responsibility, even if they only have a few more hours together.

*********

The world is plunged into total darkness as the sun finally sets and the stars come out to play. The moon is bright from above, a few constellations peeking out from the clouds, as Maura studies them with Jane by her side. The sand underneath her is still warm and the air is heavy with humidity, but the absence of the sun has created something like fall weather.

 

She can count how many stars are out, the light pollution of the city making countless others invisible to the naked eye, and does so, if only to keep her mind from the tall brunette next to her in the sand. She's not entirely sure how they ended up here, but the wine and pasta from their shared dinner has her feeling full in her stomach and liquid in her bones. She can almost forget about all the nasty little germy monsters that live in sand on public beaches.

 

Jane's voice, the only other sound besides the crash of waves, is low and musical as she murmurs about anything and everything. She has been in a significantly more chipper mood ever since Maura agreed to stay at her father's house.

 

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live in space?”

 

Maura smiles and shrugs at the question, even though she knows Jane can't see her. Of course she had, who hasn't?

 

“Mmm, I think we would need to have a bit more scientific advancements before we could even consider living on another planet. We would need things that would give the planet an atmosphere, and create oxygen naturally, water--”

 

Jane chuckles. “And gravity too, right? Can you imagine just like, trying to go to school one day and you just float off the sidewalk and get stuck in space?”

 

“Is that really what you think about?” Maura laughs.

 

“Yeah! Don't you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay, well, then what do you think about?”

 

Maura squints up at the night sky as she considers.

 

“Sometimes, I think about how different our lives would be if we were created on a different planet. Like, a planet that was just a bit warmer, or in a different solar system, or further away from a sun.”

 

“Yeah, but then we wouldn't really exist, so how would we know the difference?”

 

Maura grunts. “I'm too tipsy for philosophy.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Jane laughs, which clearly means she's not sorry.

 

“But, you're probably right.”

 

Over the sound of the waves is a faint cricket song. The sand rustles slightly in the wind, and Maura can feel the heat fading beneath her fingertips.

 

“It's getting cold,” Jane murmurs.

 

Maura grins. “We can cuddle, body heat is very good for warmth, or we could just go--”

 

Before she can say anything else, Jane slides her arm under Maura's back, rolling her and pulling her into her side, so close that Maura barely has time to breathe before inhaling her sent. She presses her cheek into Jane's chest, her dark and wild hair covering her face. It smells so good, like flowers, as if she hasn't been stuck in a car and sleeping in hotel rooms for days. Too late, Maura wonders if Jane can smell the days of travel in her own hair.

 

“You're warm enough,” Jane says.

 

Maura laughs and wraps an arm around her waist. “Whatever you want, Jane.”

 

Jane's heart is beating against her temple, and she can tell that it is faster than a resting heartbeat should be. Her breaths are slow, almost as if she's overly aware of her breathing, and Maura wonders if Jane can feel this on her too. Does she think about me, like I think about her?

 

“I think I want to stay here forever,” Jane whispers.

 

And Maura thinks _Me too,_ but she's too scared to voice it aloud while in the arms of this woman that she will have to leave in 48 hours.

 

The walk back to their motel is mostly silent, cold fingers linked together like locks, and they both fall asleep in the same bed.

*********

**Location: Miami, Florida. 1:31 p.m.**

 

From the minute Jane woke up, she was paler than usual.

 

Maura wasn't sure if it was nerves, food poisoning or the flu, but Jane slept in later than usual. Maura had fussed and checked her temperature, but no matter what she did, the color in Jane's cheeks did not return. After an hour of trying to convince Jane to stay another day, for her health of course, Jane finally pushed Maura out of the door with their bags hung over her shoulders.

 

At least Jane had let her drive.

 

The car speeds down the highway and the wind whips through the windows, sending Jane's already feral hair flying around the car. Her lips are pale, just like her face, and Maura wonders if she is going to throw up.

 

“I think we are almost there,” she says.

 

“Great,” Jane grunts.

 

“You'd tell me if I needed to pull over, right?”

 

“Mmm.”

 

She had known from yesterday's conversation that Jane was nervous about seeing her father, but it isn't until this moment that Maura realizes she is more than nervous. She is afraid, almost petrified, but afraid of what, Maura isn't sure exactly. She wants to turn around and take Jane back to Boston, wrap her in a blanket and send her back home to her mother, but something tells Maura that this is something Jane had convinced herself she needed to do.

 

So, instead, she takes one of Jane's fidgeting hands in her own and squeezes. She can feel Jane staring at her, but refuses to make eye contact and maneuvers their car down the exit ramp.

 

They are on the outskirts of Miami, but as they travel down the road it feels like any other regular neighborhood. The houses are small but nice to look at, and Maura wonders if these houses are just as expensive as anything closer to the city. She turns onto a street with a name she recognizes, and the GPS informs her that her destination is in a quarter of a mile on the left.

 

“What number is it, Jane?”

 

“863.”

 

Maura scans her eyes down the street, quickly finding each house number before moving onto the next. Just when she thinks she's going to have to go down another street or loop back around, she sees it. She presses on the break and as the car slows down, she hears Jane's harsh breathing get slightly shallow.

 

There is no room for her to park in the driveway, the space is taken up by two cars, so Maura parallel parks as Jane tries to keep her melt down silent. She squeezes her hand before turning off the car, and suddenly everything is too quiet.

 

She turns to Jane, who is trying her damndest not to pass out, and tries to meet her eyes.

 

“Jane...are you okay?”

 

Jane just nods.

 

“Are you sure? We can just sit here and take a minute before--”

 

“No,” she shakes her head, “we have to just do it, or I never will.”

 

Maura nods and takes her hand again, hoping that little bit of contact will calm her. “Okay, Jane.”

 

Neither of them move to leave the car, and Maura almost chuckles at Jane's catatonia, until something occurs to her. Jane is obviously scared for a reason...should she be too?

 

Maura sweeps her eyes over the house. It is small, the outside just barely falling apart, siding sticking out and faded from the sun. It doesn't look to be too big, modest, the complete opposite of how Maura’s parents live. She wonders if Jane's mother's house is any better than this.

 

She's too busy studying the house to hear Jane open her car door, suddenly coming back from her thoughts as the door slams closed again. Jane is moving fast, her hair flying behind her as she makes her way around the car and up the front steps. Maura scrambles out of the car, almost falling on her face, and runs after Jane.

 

“Jane!”

 

If she hears Maura call her, she doesn't acknowledge it, and for some reason her lack of response reminds Maura of her boarding school days. She doesn't have much time to think about it though, because as soon as Maura makes it up the steps and in Jane's personal space, she's knocking on the door with a weird grimace on her face.

 

“Jane, are you--”

 

Before Maura can even finish her statement, the door opens with a loud creek and an annoyed grunt of a greeting.

 

The man that stands in the doorway is so obviously Jane's dad, no question. His hair is dark, almost black, just like Jane's, but his hair is thinning and slightly greasy, like he just put gel in it. He's tall like Jane, his skin tanned from the Florida sun, and his eyes are the same brown, but lack the kindness that Jane's eyes exude.

 

One minute he looks annoyed, disgruntled, and in the next, when he finally realizes who is standing at his door, his face registers as a panicked surprise. Maura finds the shift in emotions strange, and why would a man be afraid of his own daughter?

 

“Janie?”

 

“Hi pop.”

 

“W-what are you doing here?” He stammers, but finally a smile crosses his lips.

 

“I came to visit you,” Jane says.

 

“You should have told me you were coming, I would have cleaned up a bit for you!”

 

That is a statement Maura wasn't expecting. Suddenly, she understands why Jane was nervous, why she delayed their trip for another day, why she was hitchhiking instead of just taking a direct flight. She was putting off seeing him, but somewhere in her mind she had told herself that she needed to come here. For what, Maura isn't exactly sure, and frankly, she's a little afraid of Jane's agenda.

 

“Who is this?”

 

Jane looks at Maura briefly and then back at her father. “This is my friend, Maura.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Rizzoli,” Maura says, and gives a little wave.

 

“Why don't you girls come inside?” He says, and steps aside to open up the doorway.

 

The inside of the house is slightly better than the outside, but decorated with furniture that is so obviously for a bachelor pad. The rug doesn't match the couch, and the couch doesn't match the armchair, and none of it matches with the paint on the walls. Off to the side there is a stairway, probably leading up to the bedrooms. The house is surprisingly more spacious than Maura predicted.

 

“Look, I hate to do this, but uh...I have to get back to work. Stay here, make yourselves comfortable, and I'll bring dinner home. Okay?” He says sheepishly, as if Jane is going to rip him apart for leaving.

 

Jane just nods. Maura isn't sure what she's supposed to do, so she turns away as Frank steps in to give Jane a stiff hug that she doesn't return.

 

“Nice to meet you, Maura.”

 

Before she can even turn around and respond to him face to face, he is walking out the door. Running away from his problems, Maura thinks.

 

“You, too.”

*********

“I just don't get it,” Maura says.

 

They had found their way easily around Frank's house, choosing separate bedrooms to place their respective things. All in silence. The color was returning to Jane's face, and Maura just wasn't sure how she was supposed to be acting. So they both stayed silent, until Maura says, “I just don't _get_ it.”

 

Jane just shrugs. Maura feels disgusting. The tension in the room between Jane and her father was like sweat, clouding the room and covering Maura's body in anger and discomfort.

 

As she gathers her things for a shower, she can feel Jane's eyes on her. Now that she has calmed down significantly, she seems to be worried about Maura's state of mind and her opinion, watching her carefully for any sign of a break down. Maura has known Jane long enough to realize that she notices everything, including Maura's need to be comforted. Maura doesn't want to be comforted, this situation is not about her, but something about being in the same room with Frank made her skin crawl.

 

“I'm taking a shower,” she murmurs.

 

“Can I sit in the bathroom with you?”

 

This statement finally makes Maura turn and look at Jane. She looks so fragile and tiny, which is almost impossible considering her height and her attitude. She's looking at Maura, begging with her soft eyes not to leave her alone. It's not a look she expects to see, and it melts her heart a little bit, wanting nothing more than to give Jane everything she wants.

 

So, Maura nods, and Jane follows her like a shadow as she makes her way to the bathroom and closes the door behind them. For a bathroom in a tiny house, it's pretty spacious, with a full shower/bath and two sinks set into the counter.

 

Jane sits down gently on the toilet lid. Maura is too tired from driving and unsettled by Frank that she doesn't even register the fact that she's taking her clothes off while Jane just looks, pulling her shirt roughly over her head and unclipping her bra.

 

“I don't understand,” she mutters to herself.

 

“What don't you understand?” Jane asks, softly.

 

Maura pulls her shorts down and then abruptly stops what she's doing. With her hands on her hips, she looks at Jane. “He didn't know you were coming?”

 

Jane visibly gulps and then shakes her head. Maura does too, but in slight frustration.

 

“Why didn't you tell me?”

 

“I don't know!” Jane cries, “I...I don't know. When we met, I just told you I was visiting my pop, I didn't think you were going to drive me all the way here. And then, I guess, maybe I thought you wouldn't have come with me if I told you.”

 

“That's ridiculous, Jane. I was going to come with you whether you asked or not.”

 

She steps over to the shower and fiddles with the knobs for a few minutes before finally getting it to the temperature that she wants.

 

“Really?”

 

Maura sighs. “Yes. I know it's only been a few days, but I actually care about your well-being.”

 

“I'm sorry, I should have told you. You're right,” Jane says, just before Maura pulls the curtain to separate them.

 

While she is mad at Jane for not telling her, she is also very confused about this whole situation. She's not sure which question to start with first, or if Jane will keep talking to her through the shower curtain, but she figures she has to say something. She dips her head under the spray of the water.

 

“So, neither of your parents knew you were coming here? Where did they think you were?”

 

“I told my mom that I was at training for the academy, and I...I haven't spoken to my father in months.”

 

Maura's voice softens, knowing that she is finally broaching on the issue that brought them here in the first place.

 

“Why?”

 

Jane huffs loudly. “Because he abandoned my family, Maura. For another woman. Because he would criticize me and my brothers every chance he got. And he's an alcoholic.”

 

“So why did you want to come?”

 

“Honestly? I don't even know anymore. I think… maybe I wanted to confront him? Now, I don't think I even want to be in the same room as him,” Jane says, and her voice sounds defeated.

 

“You should have told your mom you were coming here.”

 

“She would have just gotten upset, thinking I wanted to spend more time with him than her. I didn't want to hurt her feelings.”

 

Maura rinses the shampoo from her hair and starts to lather her body with soap. While she feels bad for Jane and the situation with her parents, she can't help but think that she would do anything to have a mother that actually cared enough to be jealous. Could she really be upset about Jane not wanting to tell her the truth? Would she have willingly walked into this situation if she knew this is how it would play out?

 

“If you wanted me to stay for moral support, Jane, that's all you had to say.”

 

Jane huffs. “Well, that, and I also wanted you here so he wouldn't do anything stupid.”

 

Maura's eyes widen involuntarily. “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

Jane goes silent and through the rush of the water, Maura can hear the jiggle of the toilet caused by Jane's nervous leg. She peeks her head out behind the curtain to look at Jane, but her eyes are trained steadily on the wall in front of her.

 

“Jane?”

 

When Jane finally turns to look at her, Maura is saddened and almost shocked to see tears in her eyes. She’s got a small frown on her face, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

 

“Give me a second, okay?” Maura says.

 

She waits for Jane's nod before ducking back into the shower and quickly finishing her cleaning, rinsing the soap from her body and the conditioner from her hair. With the shower off, Maura steps out and kneels between Jane's knees, trying to catch her eyes that seem to be trained on the floor.

 

“I'm here, it's okay,” she murmurs, reaching for one of her hands. “What did he do?”

 

Jane shakes her head and closes her eyes tightly, as if trying to keep the images she has seen inside. Then, choking on her words, she finally speaks.

 

“He hit my mom, Maura. And one time…”

 

Maura shakes her head. “You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.”

 

Jane nods her head, tears falling down her red tinted cheeks, and pulls on Maura's arm, signalling her to wrap her arms around her. Maura's heart aches so badly from Jane's pain, and finally, for once, gives in and wraps her arms around Jane in a hug that she clearly needs. Maura isn't usually one for physical contact, but if that's what Jane wants, Jane would get it. She can feel Jane's harsh breaths against her neck, her sobs rocking both of their bodies, and her knees gently squeezing around her bare hips, pulling her even closer. Somehow this moment seems too real, like maybe everything else with Jane has just been a dream.

 

Maura isn't sure how long they sit like this. Her thighs and her back hurt from the effort, but she refuses to be the first to let go and deny Jane. It doesn't matter that she's in pain as long as Jane feels protected. Eventually her grip on Maura loosens and as she pulls away, her eyes roam over Maura's body before suddenly darting back up to look at a spot just behind her shoulder. It's only then that Maura remembers she is naked, but the look that Jane gave her makes her wonder if she should get dressed at all.

 

“I'm sorry I got your clothes wet,” she says, trying to hide her smirk.

 

Jane clears her throat unnecessarily. “That's okay.”

 

“Where is my towel?”

 

They reach for it at the same time, and when Jane notices, she snatches her hand back like a child touching something she knows she's not supposed to.

 

“Thank you for the hug...and the moral support,” Jane says, avoiding her eyes, and Maura's body all together.

 

Maura laughs. “Thank you for the towel.”

*********

The silence around the dinner table is so thick that you can almost see it. Maura avoids looking at anyone, instead choosing to look up at the ceiling, or stare into her greasy KFC meal of drumsticks and mashed potatoes. She wonders how anyone can live off of this food alone, and also wonders if this is normal for Jane. She notices the light above the table is on, which is completely unnecessary and a waste of energy considering the sun is still out. She keeps her opinions to herself, not wanting to disrespect Frank in his own home even though she can't stand to even look at him.

 

“So...you two drove down here?” Frank asks.

 

“Yep,” Jane responds shortly.

 

“What route did you take?”

 

When Jane doesn't respond, a sinking feeling settles in Maura's stomach. _Oh no, I'm going to have to speak to him._

 

“There wasn't a specific route, I just...went where the road took me,” Maura says, eventually.

 

Frank nods. “That's good.”

 

Silence falls around the table again, only interrupted for a few minutes by the scrape of forks on plates and chewing. Maura wishes she could excuse herself, but figures it would be impolite considering the amount of food still on her plate.

 

“Lydia will be happy to see you.”

 

Jane's eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Who is Lydia?”

 

Frank chuckles nervously. “Very funny, Janie. You know Lydia, my girlfriend.”

 

“You mean the blonde you cheated on Ma with?” Jane says, annoyed, and Maura knows this situation is going to escalate quickly just by the look on Jane's face.

 

Frank sighs. “Do you really have to do this now?”

 

“Does she live here? Is that why there is a second car in the driveway?”

 

“Jane, can we talk about this later, in private?”

 

“No, I want to talk about it now,” Jane says.

 

“Not in front of a guest.”

 

They stare each other down, daring one or the other to make a sudden move, like two lions fighting over their prey. Maura wonders who is going to give in, and just as she's about to just get up and leave by herself, Jane turns to her, gently squeezing her knee under the table. Her eyes are filled with this angry determination that Maura has never seen before.

 

“Can you give us a minute? I'll meet you upstairs when we're done.”

 

She wants to stay and protect Jane, stand at her back in case something happens. She doesn't want to leave Jane to fend for herself, but something about Jane's eyes, the way they plead with her to let her handle this situation, makes anxiety take up residence in her skin. She knows Jane doesn't want her to help, but whether that's to protect her or fulfill some weird agenda in her head, Maura will never know.

 

Instead, she squeezes her hand under the table before nodding and heading towards the stairs.

 

She just barely reaches her room when the loud argument begins. It's not exactly shouting, but she can almost hear them clearly, even after she shuts the door to her room.

*********

The front door slams and finally there is silence, but it doesn't ease her anxiety. Who left? Is Jane okay? Did they forget about her? There are many endless ways that this night could go, and Maura is afraid most of the paths are negative. Will she even make it out of Florida alive? She's not so sure.

 

A light knocking on her door interrupts her from spiraling into a breakdown.

 

“Maura? It's me,” Jane says.

 

Maura has never been so happy to hear someone's voice.

 

“It's open.”

 

When Jane comes in, the first thing Maura notices is that she looks tired, and considering the fact that Jane had been yelling for almost an hour, she's not surprised. Her hair is more wild than before, as if she has been running her fingers through it none stop. From her brief preliminary exam, she hasn't seen any bruises or scratches to indicate anything physical happened.

 

“Are you okay?” Maura asks.

 

Jane tilts her head to the side a little and rolls her eyes as she makes her way over to the bed. “Yeah, I guess. He stormed out.”

 

Without thinking, Maura reaches for Jane's waist, pulling her between her knees to check her body.

 

“Did he hit you?”

 

Jane shakes her head quickly as Maura feels around Jane's torso for any pains.

 

“No. Maura, I'm okay,” she smiles.

 

“You're smiling but I really don't think that's appropriate for this moment--”

 

“If I don't smile, I'm gonna cry. Which would you prefer?”

 

“Jane.”

 

“What?!”

 

“You're not taking this seriously, he could have hurt you!”

 

Jane gives her a sympathetic smile, a smile that says “you're worried about me and I find that adorable” without actually speaking the words aloud.

 

“Maura, honey,” Jane murmurs, cupping her cheek, “I'm fine.”

 

Jane is looking at her with those eyes, and they have so much emotion in them, but the most important one is adoration. She is looking at Maura like she is the most precious thing on this Earth and for once Maura knows what it's like to be properly worshipped. She wonders how this woman, this goddess, so pure and wholesome could possibly feel the exact same way that she does. That look in Jane's eyes only confirms what Maura hoped was true. Jane is attracted to her, just as much as Maura is attracted to Jane.

 

She's not sure what she wants to do about this, but Jane is right here, within her reach, and she's afraid that won't be true for long. She reaches for Jane's neck, knotting her fingers in her hair and pulling her face down towards her own, heart pumping so fast that she thinks it might rip out of her chest. There is only a momentary questioning look on Jane's face, and then her eyes are slipping closed and she's willingly following the force of Maura's hand.

 

And then they are kissing. And it's like they've been kissing for years, Jane's lips almost as familiar as a past life and soft as baby skin against Maura's. She wraps her other arm around Jane's back and pulls her impossibly closer, surrounding her in the scent of Jane and the warmth of her mouth.

 

Maura pulls away, albeit reluctantly, only to find a slightly dazed look in Jane's eyes and a goofy smile. How could she have resisted kissing her for so long?

 

“What was that for?” Jane murmurs.

 

Maura just shakes her head, biting her bottom lip. “You're beautiful.”

 

“Thank you,” Jane chuckles, and leans in for another kiss.

 

“Wait,” Maura says, one hand on her chest, “What about that girl, the one you told me about the other night?”

 

Jane presses her lips together in an attempt not to laugh and says, “What about her?”

 

“Well, we shouldn't be kissing if you have some kind of feelings for-- why are you laughing? What did I say?”

 

“You were really bothered by that, weren't you?”

 

“No, I just don't want to ruin anything between you and--”

 

“I was talking about you, Maura.”

 

Maura's eyes go wide. “You were?”

 

“Mmhm,” Jane hums, and leans back in again for another kiss. This time, Maura does not refuse her, taking her bottom lip between her own and kissing her with all she has. She wraps her arms around Jane, pulling her so she has no other choice but to straddle Maura's lap, and they both moan at the contact. She can feel Jane's hands slide up and under her shirt, caressing her sides with her long fingers.

 

“You...are so oblivious,” Jane murmurs between the kisses she trails down Maura's neck.

 

She presses her nose into Jane's hair which still smells so good like the night before. How can she possibly still smell so wonderful?

 

“Earlier, when you just took your clothes off… I mean, Jesus… don't you know what you do to me?”

 

Maura moans as Jane starts sucking on her pulse point. She can feel Jane gently grinding her hips against her thighs, searching for relief that Maura is all too willing to give.

 

“I thought you considered me 'weird and too flirty’.”

 

“Mmm, I said that...doesn't mean I didn't like it.”

 

Jane's fingers wrap around one of her wrists, and the touch is so gentle, like a feather, as she guides her hand to the front of Jane's shorts, urging Maura to cup her sex. She stays there for a moment, just cupping Jane over her shorts as she grinds slightly into her hand. When Maura woke up this morning, this was not how she would have imagined the day going.

 

“Jane...we are in your father's house…”

 

“So? He's gone, baby…”

 

“What if he comes back?”

 

Her argument is weak, and Maura is weak, already unbuttoning and unzipping Jane's shorts before she even finishes her question. There is no doubt in her mind that she wants to do this, to hold Jane in her arms as she comes undone, and someone as hideous and horrible as Frank is not going to get in the way of that. She slides one hand smoothly into Jane's underwear.

 

“Well, clearly that doesn't matter to you,” Jane chuckles, kissing Maura on the forehead before pressing her face into Maura's shoulder.

 

She is much more wet than Maura expected, her underwear almost completely soaked before Maura can even touch her. It's incredibly arousing knowing that she is the cause. She finds Jane's clit easily, rolling her fingers gently over the swollen nub in slow circles. Jane moans softly, her hot breath hitting Maura's chest like a summer breeze.

 

Maura wonders where this Jane has come from. In the short time that she had known her, Maura hadn't considered Jane to be such a sexual being. She always seemed to be put off whenever Maura mentioned anything about sex. Never in a million years would she have predicted that Jane could be so wanton, moaning and writhing in her arms, calling her ‘honey’ and 'baby’ to get what she wanted. This Jane is brand new, but somehow the same Jane that Maura knew before.

 

“Harder,” Jane whispers, and her lips are right against Maura's ear. She shivers as her voice runs down her body and settles at her core. How can she say no to a voice like that?

 

She presses her fingers down harder and speeds up her circles, eliciting another moan from Jane. Her breathing starts to get shallow and Maura can feel her arm cramping, but she knows she'll be damned if she stops, and she knows this beautiful goddess will strike her down if God doesn't do it himself. She can feel Jane's legs shaking on either side of her thighs from the pleasure and from holding herself in this position as the movement of her hips becomes jerky. Maura presses down harder and grabs Jane's ass with her other hand, the final thing she needed to send her over the edge.

 

Her back arches and her thighs squeeze together, trapping Maura underneath her as she moans in Maura's ear. Her hips still and all her weight sags onto Maura, her head tucked under Maura's chin like a child.

 

She can feel the wetness soaking through her own underwear, so absolutely turned on that she's afraid just moving will set her off. Right now, however, she is content with just holding the most beautiful woman she has ever met in her arms.

*********

 

“You can just come with me.”

 

Jane hums as she pulls Maura closer, pressing her front against her back as they lie in bed. She gently runs her fingers through Maura's hair, the strands golden even in the dim lighting.

 

“My Ma is gonna be expecting me back in Boston at the end of the week.”

 

“Then call her and tell her you're going on a road trip with a friend. I'm sure she won't mind.”

 

Jane scoffs. “You don't know my mother.”

 

“You're right,” Maura nods, “but I think she would be willing to let you have a little bit of fun if you just checked in with her every once in a while.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

They are quiet for a minute, listening to the sound of crickets and cicadas as they come out for the night.

 

“You can't stay here, Jane…”

 

She nuzzles into Maura's back and thrusts her hips a little against Maura, which causes her to moan involuntary.

 

“I know.”

 

“So, come with me.”

 

Jane shakes her head and chuckles a little bit, “I know, you don't have to ask me twice.”

 

Maura's back straightens up and she threads her fingers through Jane's hand that is now lying across her stomach.

 

“Is that a yes?”

 

“Yes, genius,” Jane sighs, “We'll leave in the morning.”


	7. Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes I know it's been a while, I'm so sorry! I am very stressed, currently working two jobs and also going to grad school, so I'm doing the best I can! Please enjoy this update :)

**Location: Tallahassee, Florida. 12:45 p.m.**

 

Maura isn't exactly sure when Frank returned home, but by 5 am she and Jane were long gone, speeding back North to escape Florida territory. She drove fast, occasionally looking over at Jane in the glow of the sunrise, her eyes closed, her face peaceful, and thought about what happened the night before. There wasn't time right now to talk about what they were, but the shift was obvious and not at all unpleasant. She wants to reach over and run her fingers through Jane's wild hair, but opts instead to keep both hands on the wheel and admire from afar. 

 

Eventually, they reach a diner off the highway, in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of Tallahassee, and as the car starts to slow, Jane stirs. It takes almost no convincing on Maura's part to get Jane out of the car and into the diner with promises of food.

 

The diner is what Maura imagines every diner looks like. Cracked red, faux leather booth seats, a bar with metal stools, and impossibly cramped, wrapped together with a waitress in an old fashion uniform for a bow on top. She leads them to their seats, albeit a little grumpily, and pours out two cups of coffee before walking away. The lighting in the diner is dim, but the strength of the sunlight makes it seem like they are still outside. Maura turns back to Jane, only to see her rip open not one pack of sugar, but six, and dump them all into her coffee cup.

 

“That's disgusting,” Maura deadpans. 

 

Jane matches her expression. “Why, you don't like coffee in your sugar?”

 

Maura snorts and Jane grins, patting herself on the back before taking a large gulp of her coffee. 

 

“Very clever.”

 

“I try.”

 

The way the sun shines on Jane makes her eyes look bigger and brighter than normal, as if the sun had given her a bit of itself for her skin. It's hard to believe that only 24 hours before, this woman was a panicked mess.

 

They read over their menus, stealing glances at each other over the top of them, Maura's heart fluttering every time she looks away. She realizes, for the first time, that she and Jane are totally free. They have no obligations, no place to be, no responsibilities or expectations, and with this enlightenment comes a feeling of weightlessness, almost as if she could float away the minute she stands. She feels slightly giddy knowing that, if she wanted to, she could get lost in Jane and her eyes and worry about nothing else for the next couple months. Oh, does she want to. She comes back down from her high just in time to tell the waitress her order and watch her walk away again. 

 

“You seem happy,” Jane says.

 

Maura can't help but smile at her soft, kind eyes, and only smiles wider when Jane shares a smile of her own. 

 

“I am,” she murmurs. 

 

“Good,” Jane nods, “Where were you thinking of heading next?”

 

Maura just shrugs and smiles. All her life she had always had a plan for everything, but for once not having a plan makes her feel so open and free, like anything and everything good can happen. 

 

“You don't know??”

 

“Jane, I already told you--”

 

“I thought you were kidding, I thought you had a least  _ somewhat _ of a--”

 

“Nope.”

 

Jane grins and shakes her head while taking another sip of coffee. “You're crazy.”

 

“Speaking of crazy,” Maura says, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket, “You should call your mother.”

 

Jane's eyes go wide. “You're right, calling my mother  _ is _ crazy.”

 

“Jane, you promised.”

 

“Wha-- no, I did not!”

 

Maura shakes her head, keeping her ground. “It's one of the conditions of our arrangement.”

 

“Condi-- what? You can't be serious.”

 

“You can call her, or I can drive you home,” Maura shrugs, “Your choice.”

 

For a minute they stare at each other, Janes eyebrows raised incredulously, Maura's eyes stern with her arms crossed, fighting for power before Jane sags in her seat and groans.

 

“Fine, but I'm not making the call in here.”

 

Maura squints. “Why?”

 

“Because as soon as you turn on that phone, you-know-who is gonna make the thing explode, and I would rather not disturb these nice peoples’ meals.”

 

“It's been a week,” Maura scoffs, “I doubt he's still calling me.”

 

“You know, just because you turn the ringer off, doesn't mean the vibration stops. He called you at least three times last night while it was on the charger.”

 

Maura shakes her head. “I don't get it, why does he keep calling? I thought he would have given up by now.”

 

Jane grins over her coffee cup and says, “I wouldn't if you were  _ my _ ex.”

 

She returns Jane's mischievous grin with a smirk before putting the cell back in her pocket. 

 

“Maybe you should answer one of his calls and tell him to leave you alone,” Jane suggests. 

 

Maura shakes her head. “I'd rather not.”

 

The waitress returns with their food, seemingly in a better mood than before now that she has determined that the two women aren't going to give her any trouble. Jane's eyes light up with excitement as she lays the burger and fries in front of her, as if she hasn't had a meal in days, and just barely holds herself back from eating just long enough for the waitress to walk away. Maura picks up her fork and starts in on her chicken salad with a lot more grace than Jane is probably even capable of. 

 

“Why are you so obsessed with me calling my Ma?” Jane asks around a mouth full of food. 

 

“I just don't want her to worry.”

 

“Oh trust me, she'll worry either way. Why do you care? You don't even know her.”

 

Maura shrugs. “My mother doesn't really check up on me. I just figure since she wants to know...I don't know. Nevermind.”

 

“Maura…” Jane frowns, “I'm sorry.”

 

“It's not your fault,” she says, shaking her head. 

 

The silence over the table is palpable, filled to the brim with Maura's sadness. She can feel Jane looking at her, giving her full attention to Maura instead of her burger. She can't look at her, instead pushes her food around in her bowl. 

 

“I'm gonna call her, I promise,” Jane murmurs, “Maybe you should call your mother, too.”

 

Maura shakes her head and finally takes a bite of her food. “She's out of town on business.”

 

“Well, when does she come back?”

 

Maura shrugs. “September.”

 

Jane's eyes go wide and she almost chokes on her burger. “She's going to be gone all summer?”

 

“Summers are her busiest season.”

 

Jane just shakes her head and scoffs. Maura knows what she's thinking. She's thinking about how horrible Maura's mother is, and the truth is that, at times, she's not the greatest. Other times, she can be the kindest woman Maura knows, but the fact that she is gone more than she is present weighs heavily on Maura's mind. All the money in the world cannot bring back Maura's childhood. 

 

“Can we talk about something else?” Maura asks, quietly.

 

Jane makes an excited gasp in the back of her throat. “Yes, like where we are going next.”

 

“Jane…”

 

“What?”

 

“Can’t you just...go with the flow?”

 

Jane laughs. “I'm surprised to hear you say that.”

 

Maura squints. “Why?”

 

“I dunno, you just seem like a very...type A person,” Jane says, shrugging and shoving a fry in her mouth.

 

“Well, normally, I am, but the idea of not having a plan…is very appealing.”

 

“Okay, I get that, but it's a road trip. We are heading west, eventually we are gonna hit a desert, and when we do, we need to know where we are going.”

 

“How about, we cross that bridge when we get to it?”

 

Jane sighs. “Maura, no. Plus, I need something to tell my Ma when I call her.”

 

“Well, if you're so worried about it, why don't you come up with the plan and just...direct me towards it?”

 

“You know what, that sounds like a great idea.”

 

Jane pulls one of the napkins from the dispenser, pulls a pen out of her pocket, and starts scribbling on it. Her hands are bigger than Maura's, her fingers long and slender as they wrap around the pen. Jane sees her looking and uses her other hand to block the napkin. Maura just laughs.

 

“Where did you get that pen?”

 

“None of your business,” Jane says, her eyes steadily trained on her work, but Maura can see the small smile on her face.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Coming up with a plan, and you're not allowed to see since you don't want to take part.”

 

“Jane,” Maura sighs, “is that really necessary? Why can't you just trust me?”

 

“I do, but trust  _ me _ , you're gonna be happy that we have a plan when something goes wrong.”

 

“Like what?? What is going to go wrong?”

 

“I dunno,” Jane says, throwing up her hands in exasperation, “maybe we blow out a tire or something, we need plans.”

 

Maura shrugs. “That's not a problem. I know how to change a tire.”

 

“You do?” Jane asks, surprised.

 

“Yes.”

 

“That is…” Jane shakes her head and her eyes shine mischievously, “really sexy, but still. Plans are important.”

 

“If you say so.”

 

“Oh, don't even pretend to disagree with me, Miss Medical School,” Jane says, squinting at her skeptically. 

 

Maura purses her lips. “I'm not sure what medical school has to do with this conversation.”

 

“Oh, come on, you have to be an excessive planner if you're going into Medical School.”

 

“Well, maybe I just want a break from over thinking.”

 

Jane smirks. “I would, too. Don't worry, babe, this trip is going to be smooth sailing with me, and this plan, by your side.”

 

Maura laughs and Jane answers with her own party chuckle.

 

“Okay, Jane, if you say so.”

*********

**Location: Somewhere in Alabama. 3:30 p.m.**

“Jane…”

“I know, I know, turn the phone on, don't answer GF's calls, call my mother. I know the drill.”

The road races by under their feet as the cars pass by their side. Maura keeps her hands firmly on the wheel, just heading west as Jane said in her directions. She's not entirely sure where they are going, which is wonderful and freeing, but she hopes she won't have to get off this highway while Jane is on the phone.

“You've got another 6 missed calls from GF,” Jane says, and she sounds cocky for some reason. 

“Why are you so happy about that?”

“I don't know, I guess I just take pleasure in men not understanding when they aren't wanted,” Jane grins. 

“That's horrible, Jane.”

“Well, not my fault he's stupid.”

Maura just chuckles as she hears Jane typing in her mother's phone number. The clicking of the keys on the phone are somehow strangely comforting. She can hear the dial tone from across the car. 

“Hey, Frankie, what's up?... Cool, listen, can you put Ma on the phone?...What do you mean why? Don't question me, Frank-- Cuz I said so! Just put her on…”

Maura looks over and makes eye contact with Jane, who just rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Maura laughs quietly to herself.

“Hey Ma...training went well. Listen, one of my friends wants to go on a road trip to celebrate, and I decided I'm going with her...I know I haven't called in a while, but I promise I will call more...I don't know Ma, like once a week?...yeah, we are just heading out to California and coming back to Boston, nothing crazy...I'm not sure, before September?... Yes, I will call you as often as I can...Ma, I gotta go, but I love you, and thank you...yes, I got it, I got it!...love you! Okay, bye.”

Jane sighs and says, “She took that very well.”

“See? What did I tell you?”

“Shush, peanut gallery,” Jane says, punching Maura lightly in the shoulder. “By the way, GF called another 2 times.”

Maura rolls her eyes. “Of course he did.”

“I really think you should just answer it and tell him to stop. Or at least block his number.”

“No,” she protests, “I want him to see that I'm ignoring him.”

“And you thought I was being mean!”

Maura bites her lip. Sure she was being mean, but the way he broke up with her was also mean. But, on top of that, he always treated her just a little bit unkindly, commenting on her mannerisms, correcting her on things she knew more about than him, and ignoring her for his friends. It took him leaving for her to realize it, and she decided she wasn't going to be a doormat anymore. Didn't she deserve to be mean sometimes, too?

“He really hurt me, Jane.”

She can't look at her, instead looks at the grassy fields all around the highway, the world looking brighter and happier compared to her thoughts. 

“This was the man I thought I was going to marry...I thought everything was fine, but he didn't even trust me. It hurts when someone just...rips your future away from you.”

The broken lines on the road start to blur into one as a couple tears well up in her eyes. She blinks and they fall down her cheeks, and then her crying is done. She'd already spent hours crying over Garrett and their broken relationship, and right now, in this moment, she realizes it doesn't hurt as much as it did three weeks ago. She looks back out to the grass, as green and lush as her future, and feels Jane lay a gentle hand on her thigh. 

“I'm sorry, Maura,” Jane murmurs. 

She shakes her head and lays her own hand on top of Jane's. 

“I'm not.”

*********

**Location: Somewhere in Mississippi. 6:34 p.m.**

Bohemian Rhapsody blares through the speakers of the car as the sun warms Maura's upturned face. Somewhere along the way, Jane had decided that it was time to switch drivers, and Maura was in such a good mood that she didn't even protest. All the windows are rolled down, the wind rips through her hair, and as Jane dramatically sings along and attempts to sing all the parts at the same time, Maura laughs deeper than she probably ever has in her entire life. She can't breathe, and her hair is a mess, and some of it has gotten in her mouth, but she doesn't mind. She feels alive. 

“Nothing really matters, anyone can see! Nothing really matters…”

“Nothing really matters,” she echos Jane, off key.

There is a really long pause and then together, they both sing, much louder than needed, “To meeee!”

Jane takes a small bow behind the steering wheel, thanking the imaginary audience in front of her as Maura just giggles. 

“Did we really have to listen to that 4 times in a row?”

“Uh, yeah! To make up for all the times you haven't heard it! We are listening to Don't Stop Believin next.”

“Oh!” Maura does one quick, excited clap. “ _ That _ , I  _ have _ heard before.”

“You are such a liar!”

“I'm not lying!”

“Okay, what’s the band name?”

“Well...it's definitely not the Beatles,” she responds, thoughtfully.

“You are going to be so musically educated by the time we get back to Boston, you'll be a completely-- hey, do you see that person up the road?”

Maura squints as she looks off into the distance, and sure enough there is a shape on the side of the road that looks humanoid. It's hard to tell from this distance if it's a man or a woman, but Jane starts to slow the car down anyway.

“What if it's a trap?”

Jane shrugs. “Two against one. And might I remind you that you picked  _ me _ up off the side of the road?”

She's not wrong, and Maura knows this. It would be hypocritical of her to refuse this person a ride, especially when her first words to Jane were about her safety. She doesn't want this person to wind up on a missing person's poster either. 

As they approach the figure, his features become more obvious than they were before. From this distance, Maura can tell that it's a man, his skin dark and haircut short. The closer they get the more Maura can see the definition in his muscular arms, exposed to the elements due to a white tank top. He's carrying another shirt in his arm and a bag over his shoulder, walking dejectedly on the side of the road. He turns his head for a moment, and when he does, he does a double take and throws his thumb up for Jane to see. 

Jane stops the car completely, her thigh muscles flexing as they push against the break, and throws the gear shift into park. Maura can see that the man now has a smile on his face as he jogs towards the car, and there is no malice behind that pearly smile. 

“Hey, you need a ride?” Jane calls. 

“Yes! Thank you so much!” He says, and throws an excited fist in the air. 

“Get in, we have air conditioning.”

“Thank  _ God _ !”

Jane extends a fist out the window and he bumps it with his own just before throwing open the back door and falling inside. Maura can't help but notice how nice is body is and how cute his face is, but also how young he seems. He's the least threatening person she has ever seen in her life. 

“Where are you headed, bud?” Jane asks.

“Vegas! But you can drop me off in New Orleans,” he says, breathing heavily.

“What a coincidence, we are heading to both of those places! We'll get you there,” Jane says, grinning.

“You were taking me to Vegas?” Maura asks incredulously. 

Jane throws her a proud glance and a wink and says, “Only because I've always wanted to go there, but that's what happens when you let me plan.”

Maura just hums in acceptance and turns around to look at the man in the back seat.

“I'm Maura, this is Jane,” she says, pointing to the driver, who waves in return. 

“Frost. Nice to meet you, and thank you, again, for stopping,” he introduces gratefully.

“It's no problem--”

“Wait,  _ Frost _ ?” Jane interrupts. 

He just laughs. “Yeah, my first name is Barold, so I prefer going by my last name.”

Jane buzzes her lips together. “I would too if my first name was  _ Barold _ .”

“Jane! Don't be rude!” Maura scolds. Jane and Frost just laugh. 

“How long have you guys been on the road?” Frost asks. 

“Just about two weeks, Maura picked me up a few days ago.”

“What?” He exclaims, “You were hitching too?”

“Yep, on my way to Miami. Only got to New Jersey from Boston before Maura came along.”

From the back seat, Maura hears Frost slap his hands against his thighs in surprise. She turns to look at him and his eyes are just wide. 

“No way, you're from Boston, too?” 

Jane's eyes widen to match Frost's and Maura has to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing. 

“Get out, you are not from Boston,” Jane shouts. 

“I totally am!”

“So is Maura!”

“No  _ way _ .”

She can't hold it in anymore, and instead let's her laughter bubble out like a fountain. It's not hard, like before when she was laughing at Jane, but a natural laugh that comes from the pure joy of coincidence in this tiny car. She sees Jane looking at her from the corner of her eye, brown eyes shining happily before she follows suit. Frost's smooth baritone rounds out their chorus of laughs and Maura can't help but feel content in this moment. 

She happily listens to Jane chat with Frost about baseball and football as they fly down the highway, their shared goal of law enforcement and their high schools’ rivalry, and for once she doesn't feel left out of a conversation. Jane's hair whips around her head with the wind and Frost's smile is contagious, and they are both so beautiful that it almost hurts her heart. It all seems so surreal, to be surrounded by wonderful people after years of loneliness. She reaches over and takes Jane's free hand, earning a beautiful smile from the brunette in return.

As the sun starts to sink and they come closer to their destination, Maura appreciates the colors in the sky, as well as her companions’ laughter, as they go for the fifth round of Bohemian Rhapsody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys know of any cool places between New Orleans and Las Vegas, let me know! I have a vague idea of what I'm going to write, but I am always open to suggestions!


	8. Louisiana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, but I hope this longish chapter makes up for that! Jane, Maura, and Frost's dream like adventure through New Orleans. Enjoy :)

**Location: New Orleans, LA. 8:17 p.m.**

 

The sky is swirls of cotton candy sugar against the fading orange and purple atmosphere as Jane drives them into New Orleans. The streets are alive with the Louisiana nightlife, all the storefronts and buildings covered with colorful string lights, inviting the tourists inside for cover as day turns to night. In the back seat, Frost whistles in appreciation as a giant crowd of people cross the street in front of their car. 

 

“Wow, this is a lot of people,” he says.

 

“I think there is a festival going on,” Maura explains.

 

“What kind of festival?” Jane asks.

 

Maura shrugs. “Not sure.”

 

“Yeah, that's great and all, but I really have to pee…” Frost whines. 

 

“We've only been driving for 2 hours!”

 

“Two hours is long enough to have to pee,  _ Jane _ .”

 

“He's right, although to maintain a healthy bladder, one should urinate every 3 to 4 hours. If you have to go now that means you're keeping up your hydration, which is good--”

 

“Oh look,” Jane interrupts, “I found a hotel.”

 

She parallel parks along the street in front of the hotel, avoiding pedestrians and the curb.

Maura looks out her window and eyes the hotel. It already looks nicer than the hotels she and Jane have stayed at previously, the red brick of the building standing out against the setting sun, and she has always been fond of historical places. 

 

“Oh thank God,” Frost mutters, throwing open the back door and grabbing his bag. 

 

“Did you look this up before we left Florida?” Maura asks, turning to Jane. 

 

She shakes her head and presses her lips together. “Nope, just the first hotel I saw.”

 

They both get out of the car and retrieve their bags from the trunk as Frost fidgets on the sidewalk, waiting. Once they get inside, Frost rushes off to the nearest bathroom as Maura and Jane make their way to the reception counter. The inside is just as nice as the outside, brick facade all around the room that looks almost like marble, paired with bright orange paint for accent walls. The woman at the front desk looks up at Jane when they approach. 

 

“How can I help you?” 

 

“Hi, we would like a room,” Jane smiles. 

 

“The two of you?”

 

“Actually, it's three.”

 

“Okay, I just need to see a credit card to put on the room.”

 

Jane's eyes go slightly wide at that and for a second she looks like she might throw up. Maura taps her gently on the hip and starts pulling out her card. Jane looks like she might protest, but somehow stops herself when she remembers where she is. She hands her card over to the cashier before turning back to Jane, who looks slightly dejected.

 

“It's okay,” Maura whispers.

 

Before Jane can answer, the woman is speaking again. 

 

“Okay, so these are your keys, your room is going to be on the second floor, and just follow the signs.”

 

“Thank you so much,” Jane says.

 

“Have a good day!”

 

As they turn to leave, Frost catches up with them, his messenger bag bouncing against his hip. If he notices that Jane seems a little off, he doesn't let them know. 

 

“What did I miss?” He asks, a smile on his face. 

 

“Room keys,” Jane says, holding them out in a fan. 

 

“Sweeet,” he says, and takes one on the end, “Wait, we are all in the same room?”

 

“Unless you wanna pay for your own room,” Jane smirks.

 

His eyes go wide and he shakes his head. “No, one room is fine. Thank you.”

 

“Mmhm, that's what I thought.”

 

They make their way through the halls in silence, their feet shuffling against carpet, and find their room on the first floor. Every hallway looks the same, orange painted walls and a funky pattern against the blue of the carpet, and Maura wonders if anyone ever gets lost within these walls. As soon as Maura unlocks the door, Frost runs in and throws his bag down on one of the beds.

 

“Dibs, this one is mine!”

 

“What makes you think you get a bed to yourself?” Jane asks, eyebrows raised.

 

When he sees her face, his eyes flash with confusion. He stands there, stuttering for a second before Jane breaks out into a grin and slaps him on the shoulder.

 

“I'm kidding,” she says. 

 

“Right, I knew that.”

 

Maura gently places her bag down on the table as Jane makes her way further into the room and Frost relaxes back on his bed. After hours in the car, Maura can't help but feel slightly grimy as the sweat covers her body like a blanket. 

 

“I'm going to shower,” she says, to no one in particular.

 

“Okay,” Frost says, turning in the TV and not even looking at her. 

 

She turns to Jane and she has the most beautifully soft smile on her face, like Maura is the sun on a cold day. She's never really had anyone look at her like that before, not even Garrett. God, she wants to melt. 

 

“Okay,” Jane says, “have fun.”

 

Maura smiles back before heading to the bathroom with her things. She can't help but think back to the conversation she and Jane had earlier, about being type A and needing things to be planned and organized, as she carefully lays out her clothes and toiletries. It's not really something she had particularly noticed before, how everything needed to have its place and be in it for her to function properly. It's interesting while infuriating at the same time, so when she finally gets to taking off her clothes, she just throws them in a pile on the floor to spite herself. Take  _ that _ . 

 

As she washes her body, she starts thinking about the odds of running into two hitchhiking native Bostonians in one road trip. By her calculations it seems pretty unlikely, but somehow it had happened. Maura isn't normally one to believe in anything other than science, but she wonders if perhaps this is fate. Despite only knowing Frost for a few hours, he and Jane talk to each other like they've known each other their entire lives. Like maybe they knew each other in a past life. Like maybe they have taken this trip before. 

 

She's not sure how long she stays in the shower, but as she pulls the curtain back she almost screams as her eyes immediately fall on Jane. She's leaning up against the sink counter facing the shower, a sly smile on her face and one eyebrow raised. 

 

“Jesus, you scared me,” Maura laughs nervously. 

 

“Sorry,” Jane responds, but her face says otherwise. 

 

“How did you even get in here?”

 

“You left the door unlocked.”

 

“So you just decided to spy on me?”

 

“I needed to pee!” Jane protests. 

 

“Mmhm,” Maura smirks, “sure you did. Can you hand me my towel?”

 

Without taking her eyes off of Maura, she reaches around behind her and pulls the towel off the counter before holding it out to her. Maura makes a grab for it and Jane, cruelly, moves it out of her reach again.

 

“Really?”

 

“I want to talk about last night.”

 

“Yeah, I can see that since you keep staring at my breasts instead of my face.”

 

She slowly moves her eyes up to look at Maura's face, and the dazed look goes away to be replaced with adoration and a bit of lust. And something else that looks like nervousness. 

 

“What are we?” She asks. 

 

Maura feels her face soften as her head tilts slightly to the side in concern. It's definitely a legitimate question, just not one that Maura really knows the answer to. In just this short amount of time, Maura has grown to care so much for Jane, in addition to her attraction to the brunette and her gorgeous body, but the practical part of her is saying it's too soon to call her “girlfriend”. 

 

“What do you want us to be?” She asks, instead.

 

Jane shakes her head and looks away. “I don't know...this is all new for me.”

 

Maura nods in understanding. “I know your first gay relationship can be--”

 

“No,” Jane interrupts, but not unkindly, “I mean all of it...I've never…”

 

And then Maura remembers. That night in the pool when Jane came out to her, how before that she had said she hadn't really been in a relationship before. At the time she had thought, maybe she had been with a guy who didn't want to make it official, she never thought that she had never been in a relationship before. Maura isn't sure why that thought never crossed her mind. 

 

“Right, I remember,” Maura says in the silence, and then quietly asks, “Are you a virgin, too?”

 

Jane huffs a small laugh. “I was.”

Suddenly, Maura's heart plummets. What if Jane regretted what happened last night? What if Maura hurt her? Would she have come on this trip if that were the case?

 

“Why didn't you stop me?” Maura asks, sadly. 

 

Jane's eyes go wide and she looks back at Maura. It's almost like she can see the thoughts running through Maura's head and she shakes her head to try and stop them. 

 

“I didn't want you to stop, I very much enjoyed last night, that's not why I'm here...I just… I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next.”

 

Maura bites her lip as Jane looks away in embarrassment. God, she wants to kiss her, but also she wants to put her clothes back on and just hold her through the night. 

 

“What do you want?” Maura murmurs.

 

Jane looks back at her, trails her eyes from her stomach, over her chest and finally back to her eyes. Her eyes are so dark, almost like the night sky, with just as many stars that Maura could get lost in.

 

“I want you,” Jane sighs. 

 

Maura bites her lip to hold back her smile. It all seems like too much, the heat of the bathroom, the burn of Jane's eyes against her skin. She wonders if her body will turn to a puddle soon if it hasn't already. 

 

“Then I'm yours,” she says, and somehow she feels herself smile. Her heart aches when Jane smiles back at her, like Maura just made her day.

 

“Okay,” she says with quiet happiness. 

 

“Can I have my towel now?”

 

Jane laughs softly before handing Maura the towel. Maura doesn't bother to thank her, just smirks, before wiping down her body and then wrapping the towel around her breasts. Jane watches her with this thoughtful smile on her face and follows her with her eyes as Maura moves to put her clothes on. 

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asks as she pulls her underwear up over her hips. 

 

“You're so beautiful.”

 

Maura blushes and pulls on her shorts. “You're gorgeous.”

 

Jane scoffs at that. “Okay, now we just sound cheesy, I'm sorry I said it.”

 

“No! Don't be sorry, it was cute,” Maura laughs as she pulls her shirt over her head. 

 

“Ew, okay, I'm leaving,” she says, and turns towards the door.

 

“Jane!”

 

She turns back around immediately, grinning. “I'm just kidding, I wanted to keep you company while you got ready.”

 

“Oh! Okay...well it won't take me long to get ready for bed, maybe 15 minutes?”

 

Jane makes an indignant squawk and widens her eyes. If Maura weren't so shocked by the noise she might have laughed. 

 

“Bed? Oh no, we are in  _ New Orleans _ , Dr. Isles--”

 

“I'm not a doctor.”

 

“--we are going out tonight.”

 

Maura eyes Jane up and down, evaluating the outfit Jane has worn for 2 days now, thanks to her father's washing machine. 

 

“You're going out in that?”

 

“Okay, rude.”

 

Maura laughs as Jane smiles a little. Jane knows what she looks like and she doesn't care and Maura finds that endearing, even though Maura tends to be overly analytical about how she looks herself. Jane doesn't need to dress up, she looks good no matter what. 

 

“I'll make you a deal,” Maura says, sauntering over to the sink, “you can pick out my outfit if you let me do your makeup.”

 

Jane squints. “How are either of those a win for me?”

 

“Okay, then can I at least do your makeup?”

 

“No.”

 

“Please?”

 

Jane rolls her eyes. “How about, I do  _ your _ makeup?”

 

Maura grins. “Okay.”

 

Jane sputters for a minute before saying, “I was kidding!”

 

“Oh no, you said it. Now you have to. Come here.”

 

She jumps up onto the counter gracefully, perching herself on the edge and reaching for Jane who reluctantly takes her hand. She pulls her in flush, stepping between her knees to get close enough to see, and it takes everything within Maura not to wrap her legs around Jane's hips. 

 

“I will guide you,” Maura says.

 

“Pssh, I don't need your help,” Jane boasts and picks up an eyeshadow palette and a brush from the counter next to Maura's butt. She opens the palette with a flourish and puts it on display for Maura, who just giggles, before gently swirling her brush in one of the colors. 

 

“You're very good at that.”

 

“Well, just because I don't wear it doesn't mean I don't know how to use it,” Jane mutters. 

 

“I'm sorry I underestimated your makeup abilities,” Maura smirks. 

 

“It's not an ability, it is an art form! Get it right, Dr. Isles.”

 

“Not a doctor,” Maura mutters, and closes her eyes for Jane to work her magic. She's surprisingly gentle, the swipe of the brush against her eye barely there, like a feather. “What colors are you doing?”

 

“Mardi gras colors.”

 

Maura leans back a little in disgust and gives Jane a look. “That's an awful color combination for makeup!”

 

“Would you relax? I am kidding, now get back here,” Jane scolds, waving her hand in a motion that tells her to get closer. 

 

“Jane, I swear, if you--”

 

“Okay, if you didn't want to look ugly then why did you let me do it?” Jane laughs. 

 

Maura just rolls her eyes under her eyelids and concentrates on the feel of the brush against her skin. She feels like she could fall asleep right here on this counter with Jane standing between her legs, pampering her. It's surprisingly intimate, kind of like that night when Jane wanted to brush her hair. To bring her pleasure, for no reason.

 

“Hey, when are we--whoa, I'm sorry to interrupt.”

 

They both turn to look at Frost in the doorway at the same time, his eyes wide like he has caught them in the act. 

 

“Really, Frost? I'm just doing her makeup,” Jane says.

 

“I can see that, for a second I thought-- you know what? Nevermind. When are we leaving?”

 

Jane turns back to Maura and studies her work, squinting and humming like Maura is some form of art piece in a museum. Maura can't help but stare at her big beautiful eyes. 

 

“Maybe like 10 minutes?” She says over her shoulder. 

 

Frost nods. “Okay. Mind if I hang out in here?”

 

Maura sees Jane shrug just before she closes her eyes again. “Knock yourself out.”

 

“What are you doing to her anyway?”

 

“I'm just--”

 

“Why did you say that? Does it look bad?” Maura asks worriedly.

 

“No, you dummy, would you just trust me?” Jane huffs.

 

“Honestly, Maura, it looks good, I was just curious.”

 

Maura sighs with relief. “Oh, okay.”

 

“Anyway,” Maura can hear the eyeroll in her voice, “I'm just putting on eyeshadow, some eyeliner and mascara.”

 

“Cool! I've always been really impressed by how women do makeup.”

 

At that, Maura and Jane both turn to look at Frost and he raises an eyebrow in confusion.

 

“What?”

 

Jane looks at Maura for a second before turning back to him. “Nothing, I'm just surprised. I've never heard a man say that, I wasn't expecting it.”

 

“Hmm,” Maura says, “kind of like I didn't expect you to be able to do makeup at all.”

 

“Hey, that was an unfair assumption, this is different.”

 

“How is this different?”

 

“I--it--it just is!”

 

“Mmmhm,” Frost chimes in.

 

“Shut up.”

 

They both laugh as Jane gently moves Maura's head back into position. After a second she closes her eyes for Jane again and feels the liquid eyeliner against her lashes. It's cool to the touch, something she never noticed before now, like raindrops against her face. 

 

“How do you put mascara on another girl? It looks hard enough to do to yourself,” Frost says. 

 

“Not sure, I guess we will find out,” Jane responds, then says to Maura, “Open.”

 

The look of concentration on Jane's face is too adorable, and the reflection of the bathroom light in her eyes makes them shine. Maura can feel her lips curling up into a gentle smile and Jane slowly moves her hand with the mascara wand closer to her eye. 

 

“Maura, you gotta look down or I'm gonna stab you in the eye,” she says, leaning back a little. 

 

“Sorry,” she says, and then does as she's asked, except now her eyes are in line with Jane's chest. 

 

The wand pulls at her lashes like a comb through knotty hair, catching slightly before releasing. Jane swipes over her eyes a few times before replacing the wand back into the container. 

 

“Okay, I'm done,” she says.

 

“Damn,” Frost says behind her, and he can't seem to keep his eyes off Maura. 

 

“Can I see?”

 

Jane backs away from her so she can jumping down off the counter, offering her arm to help Maura keep her balance. As soon as her feet hit the ground she twirls around towards the giant mirror to see Jane's completed look.

 

She's not disappointed. 

 

The look is simple enough, just a light pink and brown combination that makes her eyes pop more than usual. The eyeliner is perfect, a nice little wing off to the side and her eyelashes aren't even clumped together like they usually are when Maura applies her own mascara. 

 

“Oh wow, Jane, this looks amazing!”

 

Behind her, Jane shrugs. “It's a more natural look.”

 

“I like it,” Maura smiles.

 

“Me too,” Frost agrees, joining them in the mirror to look at Maura. 

 

“Well, I'd say we are ready to go.”

*********

The lights along the street remind Maura of a carnival as they reflect off the glowing skin of the night life. Since entering the hotel, the sun had gone to sleep only for its watch to be replaced by the gentle moon. In the distance, soft jazz notes float along the breeze like New Orleans is breathing by itself and music is its soul. 

As they step out onto the street they pause, suddenly realizing they aren't sure where exactly they should go. Frost looks to Jane, who in turn looks to Maura, who just shrugs and looks pointedly back at Jane. 

“So, where are we going?” Maura asks, eyebrows raised.

“I...uh...I hadn't thought that far ahead,” Jane says, scratching her neck. 

A ruckus arises and causes Maura's head to turn in its direction as it crescendos. There is a giant crowd of people walking down the street, coming towards them, and as they get closer, Maura can smell the alcohol between them and hear the laughter that surrounds them. Normally, something like this would cause Maura to hyperventilate and go straight back into the hotel, but the mood around the crowd seems fun and excited rather than threatening. They all look to be in their 20s, made up and dressed up for a long, warm night on the town. A few girls in the front see the three of them as they start to walk past, shouting for them to join and follow them down to the cemetery in their high, slurred voices. They speak as if Jane, Maura, and Frost are just long time friends.  _ Come on, come on _ , they shout and the crowd picks up a little bit of speed. 

Maura and Frost look to Jane at the same time as a smile spreads across her face. 

“Why not?”

And so the three insert themselves at the back of the crowd, but just before they do, Maura feels Jane's hand slip within her own. She looks to Jane with a smile and has to stop herself from cackling as she sees that Frost has taken Jane's other hand. Jane has a smirk on her face but also seems confused, like she's not entirely sure how she's supposed to react to him just grabbing her hand. They have no idea who any of these people are, except each other, but somehow Maura feels this odd sense of belonging, like they are all siblings of the night on their way to bid Mother Moon good morning. 

“Did they say we are going to the cemetery?” Frost asks, suddenly. 

“That's what I heard,” Jane responds. 

Frost goes a little pale and says, “I'm not very good with...dead bodies.”

“Dude, really? We are going to a cemetery, not a morgue!”

“Yeah, but just thinking about it…” he says, and visible cringes. 

As they pass other people on the street, they can hear the girls in front shouting at everyone to follow along, and to their delight, some of them do, falling in line behind the trio. Some of them ask where they are going, and what the crowd is for, and soon Maura feels completely surrounded by people. She squeezes Jane's hand a little tighter.

“You okay?” She breathes into her ear, and she can almost feel Jane's lips, she’s so close. 

Maura nods in response and smiles because she is absolutely okay. There is something about this crowd that doesn't affect Maura as much as others have and she's not entirely sure why. Maybe it's the energy of the people, maybe it's because Jane is with her, and maybe it's because she has finally changed. Whatever the reason, Maura isn't upset about it, just like she isn't upset that she's surrounded on all sides by strangers. 

She's not sure how far or for how long they walk, just that each block they pass, another 3 or 4 people join the crowd and make their overall symphony that much louder and buzzed with energy. Jane and Frost chatter about nothing along the way, but Maura is so caught up in the atmosphere of it all that she's not sure what they are talking about. The moon is full tonight and she can't help but stare, mesmerized by the face she can see and how bright the world seems as it peeks through the leaves in the trees. 

Just as the crowd rounds a corner and heads down a street full of colorful houses adorned with beautiful balconies, she hears faint music in the distance. It sounds upbeat and lively, and Maura swears she detects a hint of piano among the brassy sounds. As the walls of the cemetery come into view and the music gets louder with each step, it's obvious where it's coming from and Jane starts to laugh. 

“Oh man, this isn't going to last long,” she sighs with a laugh.

“What do you mean?” Maura asks. 

“A party in a cemetery in a residential area? I'll give it about 20 minutes before the cops decide to break it up.”

“Is it illegal?”

“No, just loud,” Frost chimes in.

“Plus cemeteries barely want people just walking around at night, I doubt having a party in one would be any better.”

They start to walk through the entrance and pass a table covered with red solo cups filled to the brim with something that clearly smells like alcohol with a hint of fruit punch. Jane and Frost look at it with quiet amusement and walk right on past it, gently pulling Maura with them. 

“A booze table for a place that's not IDing and has no health precautions? Okay, nevermind, I give this party  _ 5 minutes _ before the cops bust in here.”

Unlike Jane, the rest of the crowd doesn't seem to care, picking up drinks faster than the amature bartender can make and finding a place to dance in front of the poorly made stage with the jazz band. To Maura's surprise, there is also a grand piano off to the side of the stage with an enthusiastic pianist banging on the keys with the band. She briefly wonders how, and even why, someone got it outside for this event that clearly won't last very long. 

“Well,” Frost shouts, “I guess we better dance before we have to leave.”

There is all kinds of dancing happening, mostly swing dancing, while other people shake their hips around the couple's swinging in the middle of the dance floor. Maura wonders if all of the parties she skipped at school were like this, until she quickly concludes that no, this party is much better. 

“I don't really dance,” Jane says. 

“Oh, come on! Maura? Are we dancing?” he says, shimmying his shoulders as he walks backwards towards the dance floor.

Maura looks to Jane and shrugs. “Sorry, you know I have to.”

Jane just smiles and let's go of her hand, holding her arms out towards Frost in invitation. “Go ahead.”

Frost holds out his own hand for Maura to take and does an exaggerated bow before pulling her into the crowd. He pulls her close, placing a hand on her hip and guiding her into a beginners form of swing dance. Maura feels blended with the crowd as she and Frost move to the rhythm of the bodies around them, going with the flow like waves on the shore. He smiles down at her just before she feels her world tilt as Frost dips her as low as the crowd will allow. 

“You're pretty good at this!” She says.

“Not so bad yourself!” He grins. 

The song shifts into something more modern, and the crowd immediately shifts with it into a different dance style as if they have been doing it for hours. Maura and Frost break apart briefly, confused by the shift, before moving into their own individual freestyles. Maura observes the crowd around her as she swings her hips, wondering what it's like to be this free every single day. Since she started this trip, her life has been moment after moment of freedom and wild choices she has never experienced before, it's almost overwhelming. But here, in this crowd, she wonders again how different her life could have been if this had been what it was from the start. Where are these people's parents? Do they approve of this behavior? Do they even care, and if not, why should she? 

Why are these people allowed to be free while she has to be constricted to rules and expectations?

As if reading her mood, the music starts to slow, and couples pair off again to dance chest to chest. She turns to Frost and he's looking around the crowd as if contemplating what to do next. She follows his line of site, and it briefly lands on Jane, who gives them a small wave, before he turns back to Maura. He offers her his hand and she takes it gratefully, stepping into his space again to shuffle in a circle together. 

“Frost, how old are you?” Maura asks suddenly. She had thought about it multiple times, but she's not entirely sure if he said before. 

“19,” he says, smiling, “you?”

Maura nods and grimaces. “I'm 22.”

“And how old is Jane?”

“20.”

Frost laughs gently. “So, when she said we were 'going out’, she really had no idea what she was doing.”

“Honestly, I'm not surprised,” Maura laughs with him.

“Maybe she meant go out to, like, a pastry shop or something.”

“Well, she does love sugar.”

“What other stuff do you guys like to do?” 

Maura presses her lips together and thinks over their trip for a minute. They haven't really done much besides eat and hang out at beaches, but somehow the trip seems like they have done so much more than that. 

“I think...Jane and I like to do just about anything,” Maura shrugs, “but, we enjoy each other's company, so it doesn't matter what we do.”

“Have you guys done this sort of thing before?”

“What, swing dance in a cemetery?” Maura laughs, “No, we haven't. She and I just met.”

“Yeah, she did say that, but it doesn't seem that way. I thought maybe she misspoke and she called you to come get her while she was hitching, or something.”

“No, I had never met her before. Just saw her on the road, like you.”

He shakes his head in quiet amusement. “Wow. That's crazy.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because, you guys just seem so tight, you know? Like you've known each other for years!”

Maura smiles. “I could say the same about you two.”

Frost makes a face of disbelief. “What? Me and Jane? No way.”

“I don't know,” Maura shrugs, “Maybe that's just how Jane is, gets along with everyone.”

Frost smiles and Maura can see the revere behind his eyes. “I can believe that.”

They both look over at Jane who seems to be staring into space and just looking generally out of place among the blue and red lights around the cemetery. People walk past her without looking and Maura doesn't understand how anyone could miss how beautiful she is, but at the same time she's glad that there seems to be no chance of someone taking Jane away from her.

“She's pretty awesome,” Maura smiles. 

“Yeah, she's something,” Frost answers. 

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we have one more song for you guys and then we are headin’ out,” a smooth voice speaks over the soft crash of a symbol. For a minute, the dancers stop and clap for the band as they resituate themselves. The band members smile shyly before taking small bows towards the crowd, their energy glowing with happiness. They look around at each other, pick up their instruments, take a deep breath, and suddenly start the next, and final, upbeat song. The swingers go right back into their groove like they never stopped and suddenly Maura and Frost feel lost in the crowd again. They share a brief look. 

“Maybe we should--”

“Yeah, let's go back to Jane.”

As they make their way towards Jane, Maura notices that the crowd is starting to thin out anyway, couples walk hand in hand towards the exit and away from the lights. The two girls that invited them along are standing off to the side, creating a small crowd around them like earlier in the night. 

“I wonder what they're up to,” Jane says, looking towards the girls as Frost and Maura approach her.

“You could always ask,” Maura says. 

Jane squints and shakes her head. “Nah.”

“Maybe we should follow them out of here again, unless you have a plan?” Frost smirks. 

“I have a plan!” Jane protests. “...Sort of!”

Frost crosses his arms over his chest. “Is it to follow them?”

“No, but…”

Before Jane can respond the two girls are waving their hands at their trio, calling for them to come over and join their group. It's so surreal how these two girls can convince them to do anything without saying a single word, and before Maura can even wonder where they could possibly be headed, they are through the cemetery gates and back out on the street. The lights from the makeshift stage seem to fade out like the denouement of a scene and get replaced by the brightness of the moon again, as it peeks through the trees.

*********

The club is somehow a combination of dark and colorful, the bright lights enhancing the shadows around the dance floor. The colors shift from yellow, to green, to blue, to purple, so quickly that Maura can't help but look around the room to make sure no one is having a seizure. 

The trios two prophets seem to be regulars at this club because instead of standing in line like everyone else, the girls had led their group straight to the bouncer who let them all in without a fight. Maura isn't sure whether to be appalled or impressed, but who is she to argue with free admission anywhere? 

The giant group splits up as soon as the club lights hit them, and suddenly the trio is alone again to stand in awe at the sheer chaos and size of the club. It's filled wall to wall with young people, grinding and swinging their hips to the beat. It's definitely much different than how they started their night. For a solid five minutes all Maura can do is stare, mesmerized by the colors reflecting off the glitter and sweat of the patrons in the club. It isn't until she feels Jane's fingers twine with her own and gently pull her in a different direction that she comes back to herself. 

“You okay?” Jane shouts over the music.

Maura nods. “Where are we going?”

“The bar,” Jane grins, “hope you brought your ID.”

“Yeah and I hope you know you have to buy us shots,” Frost chimes in.

They approach the bar and find a little tiny spot among the crowd for the three of them, drawing the bartender's attention immediately. 

“What can I get for you?”

“I'll have a coke, he'll have--”

“Oh, come on, Jane, you're no fun!”

“He will also have a Coke,” she turns to the side a bit, “What do you want, Maura?”

Maura hums to herself. Normally, the only alcohol she drinks is wine. She is usually very particular in how her wine tastes, but wine is what she is used to. She wonders why she's never branched out, why did she feel the need to put herself in a metaphorical alcohol box? What is this trip if not a way to learn how to let go? 

“I'll have a beer,” she tells the bartender. 

“What kind?”

Maura squints in hesitation and places her ID down on the table. “Surprise me?”

The bartender nods and she can tell he's trying not to roll his eyes, like maybe every white 21 year old girl has been in here tonight, has said the same thing as they ask for their first legal drink, and he doesn't find it amusing. Maura would be offended if Jane wasn't looking at her like she has two heads. 

“What?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing, I just didn't know you were a beer girl.”

“I'm not,” Maura says, matter-of-factly.

Jane tries to hide her smile and says, “What if he gets you something you don't like?”

“Then Frost can have it.”

“Thank you!” Frost says, smiling. “See Jane? Maura knows how to have fun.”

“Oh, shut up,  _ Barold _ .”

“You know,” Maura pipes in, “despite the extensive amount of walking we've had to do and the fact that I have no idea where we are in relation to our hotel, I'm actually having a good time.”

“Me too,” Frost says, right before he sticks the straw from his drink into his mouth, only seconds after the bartender put it down. 

“Thank you, Jane.”

“Even though we both know you didn't plan this  _ at all _ ,” Frost says accusingly, “you did good.”

“What  _ was _ your original plan, anyway?” Maura grins. 

Jane squints, slightly offended and crosses her arms across her chest. 

“For your information, my plan was to go to a club, like this one, so I would say that I succeeded.”

Frost barks out a laugh. “We wouldn't have gotten in here if it weren't for those girls, so I  _ really _ wouldn't call this a success for you.”

“You know, I didn't see either of you coming up with a better plan--”

“I was just ready to go to bed,” Maura laughs. 

“All I wanted was a beignat.”

Jane scoffs, “Then why didn't you guys  _ say _ that?”

“It's fun to watch you struggle,” Frost grins. 

“For the record, I  _ did _ say I was getting ready for bed, and then you said to me, and I quote, 'Dr. Isles--’”

“Okay, Maura, you don't have to quote me, I get it.”

Maura smiles softly at Jane because now she's being huffy and kinda cute, and she doesn't want Jane to be upset. 

“But I'm glad we went out instead,” she says. 

And the smile on Jane's face puts the moon to shame, so bright that it almost eliminates all the shadows in the room. She looks down at the ground, trying to hide her smile and bites her lip a little. Her beautiful hair falls in her face and it takes everything in Maura not to reach out and move it. 

“Your beer is here, Maura,” Frost says, interrupting the moment. 

“Good rhyme.”

“Thank you.”

She picks up the bottle and takes a sip, pleasantly surprised when it doesn't taste like how a lot of her college dorm mates described. She can only imagine how expensive this beer must be if it actually tastes  _ good _ . 

“Oh, don't look now, but that girl is checking you out, Frost,” Jane says, sipping from her own drink.

He cranes his head around Jane. “Which girl?”

“The one with the big hair.”

At this, Maura joins Frost in his search, craning her head around Jane's other side and squinting through the brightness. It takes a minute to find her, but when she does, Maura can see that the girl is staring directly at their group, giving them a cute little wave as she moves her hips.

Maura waves back and out of the corner of her eyes she sees Frost do the same. 

“She's cute,” Maura says. 

“Uh, excuse me, she is  _ smokin’ _ ,” Frost counter argues. 

“Then go talk to her, Casanova,” Jane quips. 

“How you do know she wasn't checking  _ you _ out?”

“What? Why would she be--”

“You could go ask her,” Maura says, reasonably and takes another sip of her drink.

“No, that's okay, I'll stay here,” Frost shakes his head and sucks on his straw.

Maura can see the cogs working in Jane's head as she squints at their friend. She's not entirely sure what Jane could possibly be concocting, but she reckons it can't be good for Frost. 

“Fine, I'll ask her,” Jane says. And before either of them can argue with her, she is turned around and making her way through the crowd. 

From their vantage point, Maura can see the girl's face brighten as Jane approaches, slowing her dancing and leaning in close so Jane can speak into her ear. She can feel Frost's embarrassment next to her, and she bites her cheek and avoids his eyeline as she tries not to laugh. She's watching the conversation and it seems to be going well, the girl laughing as Jane gestures with her hands and points in their direction briefly. Through the flashing lights, Maura can see the girl collapse her hands against her chest in some form of apology, and Jane is shaking her head and smiling. Suddenly she turns back towards their direction, eyes wide, and makes her way quickly across the bar. 

“So?” Frost demands, “What did she say?”

Jane plays with her drink for a second and mumbles something under her breath. 

“What was that? Couldn't hear you!”

“You were right!” Jane shouts, a little too loudly. 

Frost's eyes go wide and an involuntary laugh bubbles up from Maura's chest. She can't help it, chest shaking as she laughs hysterically and tries to stay on her stool.

“Are you serious?”

Jane nods as she purses her lips. “Apparently...this is a lesbian club.”

At that Maura just laughs harder, and she's not even sure why. The atmosphere, the things they've done, it all seems too good to be true. Sure, this situation is funny, but because of Jane, everything seems lighter, like maybe every stress she's ever had has gone away. 

It's intoxicating.

*********

“Why can't you just admit that we’re lost?”

“Because we  _ aren't _ lost, I have very good navigation skills.”

They had been walking for the better part of an hour back to the hotel room, Jane claiming to know where she was going and leading the way. They had been walking for so long that Frost's feet were starting to hurt, and he begged them to take a break. The concrete is cold against her ass, and there is a mysterious stain not too far from her hand, but Maura just can't seem to make herself care. 

“I have my phone, we could just use the map--”

“Oh, hell no,” Jane barks, “we don't need anymore GF phone calls.”

Frost squints. “What is GF?”

“Maura's boyfriend--”

“ _ Ex _ boyfriend.”

“He calls her like 300 times a day.”

“More like 3, but okay.”

“Anyway, I don't need the map, I know where I'm going,” Jane reiterates. 

“Wait,” Frost says, gesturing with his hands, “let's go back to the GF thing. He calls you 3 times a day?”

“More or less.”

“Why don't you just block his number?”

“Oh, I've tried that, she doesn't want to,” Jane says. 

Frost squints in confusion. “ _ Why _ ?”

“Don't ask,” Jane mutters. 

Despite Jane's protest, Maura pulls her phone out of her purse and holds down the power button. As the phone lights up, Jane squawks indignantly. 

“Maura! I don't need the map!”

“Well, Frost and I are tired, and we have a drive to make tomorrow, so he and I can use the map to get to the hotel and you can stay here and use your 'navigation skills’,” Maura says as she searches for their hotel on the map.

Just before she can click the button to start the navigation, her phone screen lights up with an incoming call. 

“Holy shit, you weren't kidding,” Frost says in awe.

“Like clockwork. You wanna answer it this time, Frost?”

“Jane, we are not answering his calls anymore.”

“It's 3 am, why is he calling you?” Frost asks.

Maura shrugs. “Hell if I know.”

Frost squints and looks between Maura and the phone, going back and forth a couple times before getting a look on his face. She thinks she knows what he is thinking, and from that one look she knows she's right. Before she can even register what is happening, Frost is wrestling her phone out of her hand, which isn't very hard because he catches her so off guard. 

“No, Frost, please!”

“Yeah, Frost, you go!”

“Don't encourage him, Jane!”

“Come on, Maura it's been--”

Frost clears his throat and, with a deeper voice than his own, answers the call. “Maura Isles’ phone.”

Maura just shakes her head as Jane laughs on the other side of Frost. She protested this, but for some reason she doesn't feel too bad about it. 

“She can't come to the phone right now...because she's busy...yes, she has been busy for the last week...look, don't question me man, if she cant talk to you then-- well she doesn't want to talk to you, how about that? Yeah, that's what I said! Stop calling!”

As soon as Frost hangs up, the phone rings again and all three friends let out a frustrated sigh. 

“What is with this dude?”

“That's what I said!”

“Okay, let's just get the directions from the map and turn the phone off again,” Maura says. 

She takes her phone back and clicks on the directions, pulling a pen out of her purse and writing them on her arm. 

“I told you not to turn the phone on,” Jane says.

“It's better than being lost all night,” Maura says, giving her a sarcastic smile. Jane gives her one right back before pulling herself to her feet.

It's funny how the more time she spends with Jane, the less she really cares about her petty revenge on Garrett. She thinks that maybe she should block his number as the three of them walk hand in hand back to the hotel like the crew from the Wizard of Oz.

*********

The darkness surrounding them only makes Jane's heartbeat louder, almost like it's hooked up to speakers that surround the room. Her breathing has evened out, and she can feel her own breath matching Jane's pace as if they are one with each other and the night. A sliver of moonlight falls across their bed through the tiny crack in their curtains, illuminating their tangled legs beneath the sheets. 

“What are you thinking about?” Jane murmurs sleepily. 

Maura takes a deep breath. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“Mmm, sounds serious.”

“I mean, I don't think it's serious, but I don't know if you'll find it serious--”

“Maura, I was kidding, just tell me.”

Maura sighs before speaking. “In Virginia...I didn't talk that guy into giving us a discount, I just...paid for it. I come from a wealthy family, I have a large allowance…”

Jane is quiet and Maura wonders what's going through her mind. Her heart has stayed the same pace, which is a good sign. It means she's not angry, at least. 

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Jane whispers. 

Maura shifts up onto one of her elbows, looking down at Jane in the barely there moonlight, her eyebrows knitted together. 

“You did?”

Jane laughs. “Maura, there is no way a fancy place like that would have given two young 20- somethings a discount on their hotel! I'm just curious why you didn't tell me.”

“Because you made me feel like we were a team when we had only just met,” Maura says, honestly, “you said that ‘we’ couldn't afford that place, and it made me feel closer to you. Like you were different from all the other people I've tried to be friends with...like you had already accepted me.”

She feels Jane reach out and knot their fingers together and squeeze.

“Maura, I  _ had _ already accepted you. But I guess I understand what you mean,” she says. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of like how I didn't tell you the whole truth about my pop. I...I didn't want you to leave me.”

Maura can feel the smile across her lips and she wonders if Jane can see it in the dark, because it feels so big and bright. 

“I care about you, Maura. It doesn't matter where you come from. I hope it's the same for you with me?”

Maura leans over and kisses her gently on the cheek. “Of course it is.”

“This would be  _ soooo _ sweet if I wasn't trying to sleep right now,” Frost interjects from the other side of the room. 

Jane laughs and then says, “Shut up, Barold, I'm trying to sleep.”

“Why are you yelling at me, tell that to your chatty  _ girlfriend _ over there!”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll be quiet now,” Maura says, laying back down on Jane's chest as her chuckles reverberate through her chest. 

“Good night, ladies!”

“Night Frost!” Jane says.

And as she presses a kiss to Maura's hairline she whispers, just loud enough for Maura to hear.

“Sweet dreams, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next stop, Texas!


	9. Louisiana (cont.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Just a quick update. Next chapter will take place in Texas. Enjoy 😊

**Location: Somewhere in Louisiana. 12:43 pm.**

 

The heat is almost unbearable the minute Maura wakes up. And now that it's been almost 3 hours in the car, it's not really any better than it was before. As they fly down the highway, Maura can't help but think back to this morning, when she woke to find Jane's sleepy smile watching over her, which only sent a warm tingle down her body. You know,  before Frost had the audacity to grunt loudly in his sleep and ruin the moment.

 

She can hear Jane and Frost chattering together, but she's not really paying attention until Jane says her name.

 

“What?” Maura asks.

 

“I was just saying that I don't really think it's fair that you're paying for everything,” Jane says, frowning slightly.

 

Maura shrugs. “My trip, my idea, my money. I don't mind.”

 

“Yeah but now you're paying for gas and hotel rooms for three, that's not really fair. No offense, Frost.”

 

“None taken, I agree. But...I don't have a lot of money…”

 

Jane sighs. “Me neither.”

 

Maura smiles and she hopes they both can see the sincerity in her eyes. She had never really had friends before, and obviously had never been on a trip with them before, but she knows that even if her friends did have money, she wouldn't ask for that from them. She's just happy they are there.

 

“Guys, it's okay! I don't mind paying. Like I said, it was my trip to begin with, I came prepared.”

 

“I know, but I feel like I need to contribute somehow,” Jane says.

 

“Why don't you pay for food?” Maura suggests.

 

“I guess I can do that.”

 

And then suddenly, Maura has a brilliant idea. Here they are arguing over who's money is who's, and her brain comes up with a perfect solution.

 

“Actually, I have a better idea,” she says, grinning.

 

“Okay, then spill it, Doctor,” Frost calls from the back.

 

“I'm not a doctor,” and Maura hears her companions chuckle. She can only imagine that they are now in on the same joke to mess with her. “What if I get cash out of an ATM, and we pool all of our money together and only use that? That way, we don't know who is paying for what.”

 

From the corner of her eye, she sees Jane squint and her nose scrunches up in  contemplation.

 

“Yeah, but we will know you're paying for the majority of it because you have more money than us. So, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?”

 

“How about, I match what you and Frost have, that way it's equal?”

 

“I like this plan,” Frost contributes from the back.

 

“Maura--”

 

“Jane, this is the only plan I'm going to agree to. It'll be fun, figuring out how to live on a budget! And if we use all the money, we get more, it's not a problem.”

 

Maura chances a glance across the console to look at Jane who is staring at her cautiously. She smiles as nicely as she can, and the nervousness melts from Jane's face until her own smile makes it evaporate.

 

“Okay, fine.”

*********

In a span of seconds, it starts to rain. The sun is still exposed in the sky but the drops are heavy and cold as the three companions race from the car, to the ATM, and back.

 

Maura slams her the door shut, feeling Jane's long wet hair drip on her arm over the console.

 

“Okay, so, Jane, you had about $512 and some change, and you, Frost, had about $157, which is a grand total of $669 dollars. Per the agreement, I matched that price, and we now have a total of $1,338 and some change,” she turns and looks at both of her companions, who are just listening to her speech with serious faces. “So, who wants to keep it safe?”

 

Jane's brow furrows. “Why can't you?”

 

“I have the emergency credit card. This way if one or the other gets stolen, we’lll have a back up. If I kept it all and got robbed, then we wouldn't have a backup.”

 

“Then shouldn't we split the money three ways?” Frost says, matching Jane's expression.

 

Maura sighs. Maybe she didn't think this through all the way. He was right, it is the same logic that she just presented to him.

 

“How about, we keep the money in the center console when we are in the car, and then we split it three ways before we leave the car?” Jane suggests, “that way, when we get back in the car to move again, we can take stalk of what we have left?”

 

Maura nods. “Okay.”

 

“Let's all agree not to spend too much on frivolous things,” Jane says, putting her hand in the middle of the console, “deal?”

 

Frost slaps his hand on top of Jane's and says, “Deal.”

 

Maura, although never having been involved in a group huddle, gets the concept and slides her hand on top of the stack. She can't help the grin on her face as she notices Jane and Frost's twin expressions and the glint of giddiness in their eyes.

 

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this a good idea? A bad idea? Only time will tell.
> 
> Also, I've been putting together a playlist for each leg in this road trip and I was thinking of adding a link in the beginning author's notes for each location. Is that something you all would be interested in? Please let me know, I'm still working on the playlist, but it's close to finished 😊


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